Our Story
by Aneetra
Summary: A NaruSasu/SasuNaru story following when they get together and fall apart. BoyxBoy, AU, OOC, Dark themes, Angst, hurt etc. rated R.
1. Part I:I Us

OUR STORY

Disclaimer: Don't own, don't sue

Warnings: YAOI (meaning relationship between two guys, if you're uncomfortable with that please hit the back button.)

Pairing: Mainly Sasunaru

A/N: Hey guys! Had this story in my head for a while and just needed to write it down before I go _insane_. It actually looks like it'll be a long one here so hopefully you guys will follow it all the way. Please review if you have the time and let me know what you think!

Part I : I : Us

He clenched tightly at the hems of his shorts with every recovering breath. Bent forward, the sun scorched his back, producing more sweat to trail down his skin and mingle with his soaked shirt. He collected himself, reduced his heavy breathing and outstretched, raising his arm to wipe away the bangs sticking to his forehead. Someone approached him, timesheet held loosely in their left hand and the timer in their right. The person stood a foot away, allowing him space.

"Good work, Naruto," said the newcomer, reaching out the timesheet for him. "If you continue training like this for the upcoming competition, you'll definitely be scouted."

"Thanks, coach," he said and gathered the pieces of paper. He was usually more ecstatic when he heard praises but the training before had left him spent. His eyes roamed over the numbers printed in neat blue ink, connecting them with the names on the left column and smiled when he saw that he was still the fastest amongst the team. Returning the sheets back to his coach, he asked, "Do you know how many are usually scouted?"

His coach crossed his arms over his chest, pressing the sheets against him. "There's never a certain number," he replied. "If you're fast then they'll like you. Sometimes they offer two or three students, sometimes none. Don't worry about them on the day, just concentrate on doing your best and you'll be fine."

"Yep," he nodded, smiling.

"I'll see you next week, then."

"Thank you for today."

His coach nodded goodbye and started approaching another student. Naruto walked towards the pile of bags a few feet away to gather his things. He slung his duffel over his shoulders, unzipped his bag and reached for his drink bottle. Then he looked around the area to spot a familiar figure leaning against a tree a few meters away. He walked towards him, flicked open the bottle in his hand and took long satiating gulps.

"Hey," he said as he approached the figure hiding underneath the shade of the tree. Seeing him approach the boy stood up, dusting himself.

"Hey," the boy answered.

"How did it go?" Naruto asked.

"How did 'what' go?'

"The letter?"

"What letter?"

"Sasuke!" Naruto clenched his fists, showing his impatience.

The boy smirked. "How did _you_ go?" He asked instead, changing the subject.

Naruto sighed and shoved his empty bottle back inside his bag. He knew when his friend didn't want to talk about certain things and he didn't have the energy to pursue it now. Naruto turned around to walk away from the field, expecting the other to follow. "Good. I'm still the fastest on the track. Coach said that if I keep it up, I might get scouted." He slowed his pace slightly to allow Sasuke to meet his strides.

"Have you told your parents yet?"

"No," he said. "I was thinking to convince them _after_ I get the scholarship." Naruto looked up at him, lifting his head slightly to meet the height difference and looked expectantly at the other.

"You know it's not going to work," was the bland reply.

"Yeah, I know," Naruto said slightly annoyed, his one eye twitching, "but you know, being a _best friend_, you could at least be more _encouraging_."

Sasuke only looked ahead, avoiding the irritated face directed at him. "I'll be encouraging if you stop being so cowardly."

"What? I'm not a coward!" Naruto fumed.

"Then tell them already."

Naruto kicked at the small rock in front of him. They'd left the field and were know walking along the footpath heading towards the main street. Other students were making their way home at this time of the day, their backs further ahead of them. "You know how they are," Naruto groaned. "They're so old-fashioned and stubborn. They'll only be happy if I end up being some doctor or lawyer. I mean, I don't mind being a doctor and all if I actually had the brains for it. They should know I'm just not cut out for school." Naruto sighed this time and resumed his abuse of the rock on the ground. "And what's so bad about making a career out of sports? They can earn heaps too. Do you know how much you can get paid if you represent the country _and_ win the medal?" He paused, looking at his friend. When his friend only stopped to wait by the pedestrian cross and made no indication he was going to answer, he continued. "Well, a lot. And there's sponsors and stuff; if you're really famous you can even do commercials..." He continued rambling as they crossed the walk to the other side. Sasuke remained quiet throughout, paying attention to the slow traffic and only half listening. When they reached the local fast-food restaurant he slowed down so that Naruto could stop.

"You hungry?"

Naruto turned to him, looking a little confused before he registered the question. "Oh. Yeah, sure."

They cut in through the car park, seeing that there were quite a few parked cars, and pushed the door to go inside. The smell of grease filled the vicinity as the place prepared for their first rush for the early evening. Naruto stood beside Sasuke as they waited in line, looking at the pictured menu above the counter. When he decided what he wanted he looked down at the workers, noticing a few faces he'd seen before from school. The line moved quickly and steadily and within a few minutes they were at the front of the counter.

"Oh, hey, Sasuke" the girl serving greeted. Her cheeks tinged a light pink as she eyed him.

"Hi," Sasuke replied indifferently. "Can I get two double cheeseburgers, large fries and medium coke." He shifted so that Naruto could order also.

"Sorry, make that three double cheeseburgers; and I'll also have a chicken burger with extra large fries and an extra large raspberry slurpy." He smiled brightly at the girl.

The worker checked their order, their price flashing on the machine before she went to collect the items. Someone from inside the kitchen saw them and called out. Naruto recognised him as one of the guys in his Maths class. He quickly walked out of his station to the front to speak to them. "Hey guys," he greeted.

"Hey, Kiba," Naruto greeted. Sasuke only nodded in response.

"Look, I need to ask you a favour," Kiba said as he eyed Sasuke. "Can you fill in my shift for this Sunday? I forgot to write it off and that new manager is gonna kill me if I don't find a replacement."

The girl came back with their order and placed them neatly on their tray. She totalled their order as Naruto collected their food looking expectantly at Sasuke. Sasuke sighed, reaching for his wallet.

"When is it?" he asked. He grabbed 1000 yen and handed it to the girl.

"It's a midnight shift," Kiba said with pleading eyes.

"Yeah, okay," he agreed when he received his change and proceeded to look for a seat.

"Thanks, Sasuke!" Kiba called. "I owe you one!"

Naruto led them towards a seat by the window away from the view of the counter. Plopping himself down he waited for Sasuke to take the initiative to get the straws and napkins. When Sasuke returned and took a seat, Naruto was already two bites into his chicken burger. "What about school?" Naruto asked around a mouthful of food.

"Dunno. Probably take it off." Sasuke unwrapped his burger neatly and took a large bite.

"Man, I don't know how you can take days off like that and still be at the top of the class," Naruto said as he took a drink from his slurpy.

"It's easy," Sasuke said simply. "I study."

"So will you be working full-on during the summer break?" Naruto asked.

"Probably. If I get the shifts."

"You shouldn't over work yourself," Naruto said with a tinge of concern.

Sasuke didn't reply.

There was silence between the two as they ate their food. Naruto looked at his friend eating neatly. His dark ebony hair contrasted his skin, making him look paler than what he really was. Although he knew that a lot of girls thought that Sasuke looked good - his effeminate features supposedly adding to his appeal – Naruto always saw him as the irritated little boy he'd spoken to in the playground when they were four. Sasuke always looked slightly pissed-off, like he was angry but also a little bit sad. Naruto didn't know how he could manage those conflicting expressions and make so many girls fawn over it.

Naruto turned his gaze to outside. A group of delinquents were sitting by the curb fooling around. He could hear their voices drifting inside the restaurant, frowning when he caught a cruel joke. Ignoring the floating voices, he faced Sasuke again.

"So how much have you saved up?"

"Not a lot."

"It'll never be a lot in your books."

Sasuke didn't say anything, only reached to grab a fry.

"If you really can't stand them, you could always move in with me," Naruto continued. "My parents wouldn't mind. They really like you, you know? They think that I'm blessed to be friends with you." He stuck out his tongue. "As if! They have no idea." Naruto laughed as he pushed his tray towards Sasuke, having had enough of the fries. He grabbed his slurpy and twirled the straw around the remaining contents. "Well, I guess it would only be temporary. But once I get the scholarship we could both move out together, I think. You wanted to go to a university in Tokyo, too, right? Who knows, we could probably get into the same school." Naruto drank from his slurpy some more, tipping the drink so that he could get all the iced parts.

"Oh, that's right," he continued, remembering something, "so how did it go anyway? You never told me."

"Told you what?" Sasuke finished the fries and began tidying up, placing all their rubbish on the tray.

"That _girl_, remember? The one that left the letter in your locker today? Weren't you supposed to meet her somewhere?"

Sasuke shrugged as he stood up, tray in hand and walked towards the bin. Naruto followed suit, making sure to grab his duffel bag with him. "Not sure."

"You mean you didn't go?" Naruto asked incredulous. They exited the restaurant, the fresh evening air a welcoming change from the smell inside. "You bastard! How could you do that?"

"Well," Sasuke said plainly, "it's better than giving her false hope."

Naruto groaned. "But you've done that to every single girl, man! Why don't you just give them a chance? You know how many guys would kill to be in your position? And she was kinda cute too..."

"You want me to introduce you two?" Sasuke quietly interrupted.

"What? No! Don't say that, bastard!"

"Then shut up about her already."

Naruto crossed his arms, unimpressed. He pointedly faced the other side, making sure to keep silent until the other spoke to him first. Naruto hated when Sasuke dismissed him like that. Every time he encouraged his friend to date he'd be told very rudely to 'shut up'. Naruto didn't understand how a guy as popular as Sasuke could never have a girlfriend. Even he, himself, who had none of the attractive qualities his friend had had been on a few dates before.

"Keep being like this and you're only gonna regret it," Naruto said spitefully then mentally cursed himself for speaking first.

When Sasuke didn't respond, remaining as the irritatingly quiet person he always was, he growled, "Girls can be cool, too, you know!"

They turned a corner, entering his quiet street. Some kids were riding small bikes on the road, playing chase with each other. Naruto could smell dinner being prepared from inside the houses, wondering absently what his mother had made.

Walking in further silence, Naruto only realised he'd reached home when Sasuke stopped abruptly. He turned to see that the lounge room lights were on; thinking vaguely that his father had come home early. Naruto pushed his wooden gate open, not turning to say a word to Sasuke. He wanted him to know that he was still mad.

"Are you just gonna be like that?" Sasuke finally asked when he'd closed his gates, shutting the other out.

He looked down, pointedly kicking at his shoes. "Why?" he drawled, "what do you care?"

"Stop being an idiot," Sasuke said, not looking at him. His gaze fixed at something just on the left side of his face.

"Well, screw you too."

"Why do you always do that?"

"What did I do?" Naruto asked, offended.

"Give me shit just because I don't like the people that you do."

"What?" Naruto cried, incredulous. "I don't give you _shit_!"

"You do," Sasuke said softly, his eyes still not making contact with Naruto 's.

"Well for your information," Naruto crossed his arms now, annoyed; his duffel bag dropping to his elbow. "I only say what I say because I'm a good friend. If I don't say these things, who will? Do you really think that you'll go a long way with that attitude of yours?"

"What attitude?" Sasuke said, turning sharply to face him now.

"The stuck up, all superior attitude! The I-don't-and-won't-talk-to-anyone attitude because I'm just too good for any girl who writes me a damn love letter!," he blurted in one breath. "It hurts, you know? These girls have feelings too. If you don't like them, at least tell them to their face and not ignore it altogether."

"You think I want those stupid love letters?" Sasuke cried, enraged.

"It's not about whether or not you _want_ them. It's about the fact that you _have_ them," Naruto said self-righteously. "To acknowledge that you like someone needs enough courage as it is, let alone confessing to them. Especially if the guy they like is known for being such a cold-hearted bastard. If I'd never opened the letter today, you wouldn't even know who it was you were rejecting, would you? The poor girl. Who knows? She's probably still waiting for you right now."

"Well if you're so great and noble, why don't you go check yourself?"

Naruto eyes widened, not believing what his friend had just said. Then, a second later, he stepped forward and swung his right arm. His fist connected with skin and the boy staggered a couple of steps back. Sasuke glared at him, hand on a bruised cheek.

"I don't know what it is that these girls see in you!" Naruto said, voice raised.

Sasuke regained himself then plunged forward to land a punch of his own. Calloused hands blocked him so he shifted, using his left fist instead and aimed at the other's stomach. Naruto doubled over, cursing, hands clutching at his sides.

"You know what? I don't either. Why don't you ask them and let me know?" Sasuke said, edging closer towards the gate. "If the answer's worthwhile, maybe then I'll start replying to them."

"You cocky bastard," Naruto ground out.

"What else? C'mon, continue with the name calling."

"You _idiot_! You dim-witted _ass_hole!" Naruto grabbed Sasuke's shirt and shoved him roughly back. Sasuke lost balance, stepped on the sides of his foot and fell down. "How do you expect people to like you like this?" Naruto cried facing the boy now on the ground.

Sasuke kept his vision downcast, not looking up. After a pause he said, more softly than before, "maybe I don't need them to like me." His hands tried to level himself up but stopped when he found himself still shaky.

Naruto kept quiet, evening up his breathing. The figure on the ground suddenly made him remember past times; when they were younger and when Naruto had spent almost everyday correcting him on how to interact with others. Sasuke had always been cold and rude right from the very first moment he'd met him. Naruto remembered that day at the park when he first saw the boy, small and fragile sitting all alone underneath one of the slides. It'd been cloudy that day, like it was about to rain and there were only a few kids around. Naruto's parents were busy talking to the other adults so he'd walked around himself trying to find someone to play with. He'd spotted him with his hands wrapped around the knees and head almost burying there. Naruto had thought that he had looked cool, exuding an air of mysteriousness that was far different from all the other kids he knew. When he approached him, Sasuke hadn't looked up, hadn't even spared him a glance and although Naruto had been more than a bit annoyed at the gesture he had found himself being fiercely attracted also. Dimly, he wondered if that was what attracted so many girls to him. That mysteriousness of his and that jaded look that made you want to protect him.

The porch lights suddenly flicked on and Naruto turned to see who it was. His father, still dressed in his business suit walked out, stern look in place. "What is all the ruckus about?" he asked in a deep, aggravated voice. When he reached to where Naruto was standing he saw Sasuke still on the ground. "Sasuke what are you doing?"

"Hello, Mr. Uzumaki" Sasuke said quietly.

"Get up," he commanded, "Naruto's mother made dinner."

Sasuke proceeded to get up but shook his head in the negative. "It's fine. I should be heading home now."

"Rubbish. You both didn't look like you finished what ever you were discussing. Now come inside before the neighbours start complaining."

Naruto's father opened the gate for him and he was obliged to enter. Walking alongside each other Naruto looked at him, noticed that he had given a hard blow when he saw that Sasuke's lips were bleeding. He swung his bag to the other side and wrapped his free arm around Sasuke's shoulders. Sasuke tensed for a moment but gave in to the familiar touch. That had always been a way for Naruto to say that he was sorry.

They could smell ramen when they entered the house, taking off their shoes and changing to the house slippers. Naruto's father went straight to the lounge room and picked up the newspaper he'd left on the coffee table before he went outside. Naruto dropped his arm around Sasuke to walk into the kitchen. His mother was making his favourite noodles and he frowned when he realised he wasn't hungry. "I'm back," he greeted the woman from behind the stove.

"Food's almost ready," was the reply. "Is Sasuke here?"

"Yes," he answered. "We'll come down and eat it later. We're not that hungry right now."

His mother turned around, her expression displeased. "Did you boys eat out again?"

Naruto smiled sheepishly before he rushed back to Sasuke. Grabbing the boy's arm he dragged him upstairs to his bedroom. The door closed behind them as Naruto threw his bag to a corner. He jumped onto his bed in the middle of his room, arms and leg sprawled wide. After a moment, he remembered about Sasuke and turned to see him still standing by the doorway.

"Don't be an idiot and come here," he muttered. He moved his body aside to allow space for the other. Sasuke paused a moment longer before he walked towards him. Quietly, he laid down beside Naruto, eyes looking at the ceiling. Naruto was on his stomach, his face pressed to the side looking up at his friend's profile. There was another moment of silence before either said anything.

"I'm sorry if I give you shit," Naruto said gently.

Sasuke looked like he was concentrating hard on Naruto's ceiling, his eyes narrowing slightly. "I'm sorry for being a cold bastard," he said after a beat.

"You're not really that cold," Naruto said. "Not anymore."

Sasuke didn't say anything.

Naruto sighed, slightly annoyed. "Will you not look at me?"

Naruto waited for Sasuke to turn to face him. The boy was reluctant but after a minute he relented and turned around. Dark eyes focused on his and Naruto had to catch his breath at the sudden loud beating against his chest. Naruto noticed that Sasuke sometimes made him feel this way. If in the right situation, if with the right expression, Sasuke could manage to take his breath away. Naruto didn't understand how his friend could affect him so. Maybe it was those ridiculously long lashes that framed his eyes making him forget who they were at that moment. Or maybe it was the way the boy looked, like there were so many secrets he wanted to let him know but didn't.

Naruto shifted uncomfortably in his position and unconsciously backed away.

"You tell me to look at you and now you back away," Sasuke stated indifferently.

Naruto bit his bottom lip, a habit of his when he got nervous. "Do you remember when you told me about your family, Sasuke?" he asked randomly.

Sasuke grunted softly and turned back to staring at the ceiling. Naruto found himself liking this position instead.

"What about it?" Sasuke asked.

Naruto thought back to that time. It was the first time that Sasuke had said so much to him. They had only been twelve but Naruto knew that Sasuke was always more mature than him. Hearing his story Naruto established then that Sasuke was the bravest person he'd ever know. After all, to be ignored ever since he could remember because he looked like his deceased brother was enough to make any kid bawl their eyes out. But Sasuke never once did cry in front of him. He had looked angry and hurt but there were never any tears. Naruto wondered how the boy felt now.

"Do they still ignore you?" he asked.

"It's mutual," Sasuke replied.

"Will you let them know when you leave?"

"Maybe, if I feel like it." He turned around to the side away from Naruto and added, "not that they'd care."

Staring into Sasuke's back, Naruto had the sudden urge to reach out and soothe him. Put his hands on his back and rub it gently: encouraging him to speak more of his feelings. It was rare when these situations arose. But Naruto only rolled onto the side of his stomach to put his arms behind his head as he stared at the desk on the far side from between the juncture of Sasuke's neck.

"You never know," Naruto tried but found that his words sounded hollow even to himself. Sasuke didn't say anything and Naruto couldn't tell what the other boy was thinking with his back facing him. Then he said with more conviction, "it doesn't matter about them, though, because you have me to care about you."

He was proud of himself as he said it, knowing full well that that was the truth. He'd always be by Sasuke's side no matter what because they were best friends and even though they always fought and argued, he knew that they could always depend on each other.

Sasuke stayed still, not giving any reaction to Naruto's words. Naruto's body suddenly felt tired, the one hour afternoon training finally kicking in. His bed felt comfortable as he shifted again to the opposite side. "Hey, Sasuke," he said slowly, his eyelids dropping close.

"Yeah?" Sasuke's reply was soft, gentle, almost soothing to hear.

"Wake me up in an hour, okay?"

Sasuke didn't say anything but Naruto didn't need him to. With a quiet yawn, he let sleep envelope him.

TBC.


	2. II: Me

I : II : Me

The cool, gentle wind was a nice contrast to the afternoon heat. Sasuke sat by one of the seats in the bleachers watching his friend practice. The small crowd was loud in their cheers as the runners made their way closer to the finish line. A runner, whose blond hair shone brightly against the glaring sun, was in obvious lead, the distance between the next being a good few meters. Sasuke fanned himself with a flyer he'd picked up from two seats next to his, rising out of his chair as his friend met the finish line. The crowd applauded loudly and Sasuke could see the blond jumping ecstatically as his coach approached him. Sasuke guessed that the boy probably broke a personal record with the crowd's sudden roar of celebration. He walked down the steps and towards the track field, meeting the blond halfway as the other almost leaped towards him.

"Sasuke! Sasuke!" Naruto cried. "One minute fifty-one – that's a national level!" He reached in, grabbing Sasuke close to draw him into a fierce hug. "Do you know what that means? Do you?" he exclaimed, pulling away, his face unable to hide the excitement. "That time – that's better than all the guys my age _in the country_!"

Sasuke barely managed to keep balance as Naruto pulled him in more roughly for another hug, bobbing up and down as he did so. The excitement from his friend was slowly creeping onto him. "Wow," he said, giving a small chuckle. "Who would've thought?"

"I know!" Naruto said as he released him once again. Then a second later he registered the insult. "Wait a minute, what's that supposed to mean?" His lips pursed into a false frown, looking at his friend mock-angrily.

Sasuke only smiled before Naruto's coach approached them.

"That was great work, Naruto," his coach commended. "I'll be letting the principal know of the fantastic results. Keep it up!"

The coach walked away and Naruto turned his attention back to Sasuke. "I can't believe it," he said excitedly. "I knew I was doing well by the last 200 meters when I couldn't feel Ritsuka behind me, but one minute and fifty-one? Oh my God! I'm just really that good!"

Sasuke decided to let the self-praising pass this time, seeing his friend still unable to wipe the smile off his face. Inside, he was more than thrilled of Naruto's results but he wouldn't let his friend have the satisfaction of knowing that. The first time Naruto had broken a personal record and he'd let his emotions show, he had suffered an entire month of endless bragging from the boy. So he only maintained his smile, waiting for the right moment to interrupt without breaking Naruto's jovial mood.

When his friend finally gestured for them both to head towards the track field he asked, "How was school?"

Naruto shrugged lightly. "The usual. You didn't miss out much today. Although Noriko-san tripped when she was walking towards the front of class and everyone could see her panties. That was funny." His eyes gleamed with mirth. "There was a picture of two cherries – _smack_ in the middle." He laughed at his suggestive implication.

Sasuke shook his head disapprovingly. "Didn't you have a crush on her at the start of the year?"

"Still doesn't make it any less funny," was the easy reply.

As they came closer towards the racing track, the others there turned their attention towards them. Some of the other runners that were competing with Naruto from before shouted out their regards while others just wished him good luck for the big competition ahead. Naruto accepted the warm greetings easily, smiling brightly at them before collecting his things.

He walked back towards Sasuke, arms outstretched with his duffel bag, indicating for his friend to take it from him.

"And may I ask _why_?" Sasuke asked, an eyebrow rose in query.

"Because _I_ have broken a bloody good record," Naruto answered unaffected.

Sasuke sighed, reached for the bag and slung it across his chest. Moments like these he wondered why he made himself put up with Naruto's antics. They crossed the field, making their way towards their school campus until Naruto finally asked them why they were heading back.

"I need to get some books," was Sasuke's answer.

Naruto rolled his eyes, twisted open his bottle and drank heartily. "You couldn't get them tomorrow?" he asked rhetorically.

Sasuke let the comment pass, rounding a corner for their school to come to view. The reserve where Naruto practiced was only two blocks away from their school campus which was convenient enough but Sasuke had wondered why they didn't just have their own private one in the school ground. They had a large playing field behind the buildings but their track team was more popular than any other sporting team for the latter to take up most of the space. He inwardly frowned; maybe that was part of the limits in living in such a rural area.

They entered through the glass doors and ascended the wooden staircase towards the third level. Unlike the schools in the bigger parts of the city their area didn't follow the standard year level divisions. The school was occupied with all secondary level – from year 7 to year 12. It was the main institute for students in their area to attend unless they were well-off or their parents were adamant that they enter University to send them elsewhere. Sasuke didn't believe that attending a public school that had no distinctions of middle and high could not make it to University. Then again, he had to admit that the students there weren't as bright as he had wanted them to be.

They walked down a narrow corridor towards the very end where the lockers were located. Naruto excused himself to go to the bathroom so Sasuke quietly walked towards his locker by himself. The empty atmosphere made him feel slightly awkward as he found his key to unlock his locker. He could never get used to the feeling of an empty school even though at the back of his mind he knew that there were still teachers around. The metal squeaked in the stillness making Sasuke frown at the unpleasant noise. Opening his locker his frown deepened when he saw two pink envelopes lying on top of his textbook. He was about to shove them aside when he remembered what Naruto had said last time. Grabbing his textbook, he wedged the two envelopes between the pages, making note to look at them later. He searched for his English folder before closing his locker.

Naruto walked out from the toilets, hands wiping at his sides as he walked towards him. "Got your precious books?" he asked mockingly.

Sasuke only walked towards him, shoving the strap of Naruto's duffel bag back across his chest as steathlily as he could with the books he was carrying. The blond protested but Sasuke only gave him an annoyed look, not wanting to hear anymore of it. Naruto grunted as he caught up his pace, walking alongside him. "Jerk," he muttered.

"Pig," he retorted.

Naruto was speechless for a moment. "Pig?" he asked critically. "Where the hell did that come from?"

"You know," he explained, "pigs are lazy…"

"Very smooth," his friend said, displeased.

"You think?" he asked.

"Oh definitely," was the sarcastic reply.

Sasuke suppressed the chuckle as he rearranged his hold on the books. Naruto stretched as they descended the stairs, yawning as he did so.

"So what time did you finish this morning?" Naruto asked when they had exited the building.

"Six o'clock," he answered.

"And when did you get up?"

"About two."

"What did you do?"

He shrugged, reflecting back on his day. He'd woken up and just stayed in bed for an hour looking at his room. Sometimes, no matter how many mornings he'd woken inside the same room, it'd always look foreign to him. Like his parents had moved some things, changed some things or maybe like his room had never belonged to him. It was weird in a way but not in another.

"Man," said Naruto, his voice bringing him back to the present, "I know these shifts are a lot of money but from twelve to six in the morning? That's not healthy. You should've said 'no' to Kiba. I mean..."

He tuned out what Naruto said next, knowing that it was some lecture he didn't want to hear about. Naruto had a habit of having an opinion on everything. Sasuke didn't know if that was a good thing or not but he definitely knew that Naruto needed to put that habit into moderation or he might start tuning out everything that comes out of his mouth.

"…well, I need to go to meet my mum at the grocers so I'll see you tomorrow."

Sasuke turned to see him, noticing that they had stopped in front of his house. He'd lost track of the time.

"Remember what I told you okay?" the blond said, waving. "Try to avoid those shifts." Naruto looked skeptical when he only nodded but began walking away. He reached into his pocket for his keys, hooking a finger inside the key ring before pulling it out. Opening the door he ignored the sight of his mother sitting on the couch and walked upstairs to his room. The door closed soundly shut as he walked to his desk and placed the books down. Sitting, he opened the textbook and pulled the two envelopes out. His hands paused as they held onto the first one, knowing what to expect yet not knowing entirely either. Collecting himself he gently ripped it open.

The letter smelt lightly of lavender, matching the feminine writing printed neatly on it. He scanned his eyes over the lines.

_Dear Sasuke-kun,_

_I have admired you since the first day I saw you four years ago. You may not remember me but I was in your class during our freshman year._

_If you are interested in knowing who I am please meet me today after school by the big oak tree across the campus._

_Your secret admirer._

Sasuke placed the letter aside and picked up the second one, tearing gently at the sealed edges. It wasn't his fault that he hadn't seen the letter earlier, he thought guiltily.

The second letter smelt of roses and he wondered vaguely as he again scanned the lines if girls intentionally scented these things.

_Dear Sasuke-kun,_

_My friend told me not to write again but I feel it has become a habit. I guess no reply is better than an outright rejection, right?_

Sasuke paused, almost seeing the forced smile that came with the line.

_I am again waiting by the park near the old library. And as always I will wait until the beginning of dusk. Maybe, if you would just acknowledge me this time, I can learn to get over you._

_Yours,_

_Sakura._

Sasuke looked outside his window, seeing the sky still a light orange. Dusk will be coming in the next hour or so, he thought vaguely as he leaned against the backrest of his chair. He was nervous about meeting the girl, not knowing what to expect since he had never responded in any way to these letters. The name Sakura was a common one so he couldn't quite put a face onto it. Spinning his seat, his feet stopped as he faced the doorway. If anything, he hated Naruto's influence on him.

-o-o-o-

The park that the girl mentioned was only a good ten minutes away from his house. It was near the town's centre with the shopping malls and train station another five minutes walk away. Sasuke was surprised that the place was almost empty in the early evening with only a few kids hanging by the playground and their parents lurking closely by.

Walking down the vacant bike track he saw a couple seated on one of the benches making out. He could see the boy's hands on the girl's chest and the girl's legs draped across the boy's lap. His brief attention caught the boy's eyes and he quickly averted his gaze when the boy intentionally drew his tongue from the girl's mouth. An involuntary blush crept up on his cheeks, his hands gripping the sides of his pants as the embarrassment of being caught struck him. He made himself remember never to look at a couple again.

Walking further down, he noticed a lonesome girl sitting by a seat that was facing the outside of the park. The girl had outrageous pink hair and when he approached closer he recognized her as one of the members of the student council. Feeling eyes on her, she turned and when she saw him her eyes went wide, her mouth opened in apparent shock.

"Sasuke-kun?" she called uncertainly. She stood up from her seat and he saw that she was still in the green school uniform, the color emphasizing the brightness of her eyes. He wasn't sure if she was the girl he was supposed to meet so he remained rooted in his spot waiting for further movement from her.

She came towards him, the distance being only a meter or so and stood a foot away. He could smell the rosy scent she sprayed on, reminding him of the letter earlier. Letting out a small, relieved sigh he straightened himself and looked at her. Up close, he noticed that her skin was flawless; the lips painted a glossy red that exuded something sweet smelling. The pink hair looked weird at first but it seemed to bring out the color of her eyes. He wasn't sure what to feel knowing that the girl was quite pretty.

"I can't believe this," she said, still seemingly in a state of shock.

He shifted slightly; not knowing what to do, he said, "Can we sit down?"

The girl blinked, finally realizing that they'd been standing all this time and nodded. "Yes, yes," she said, leading him to the bench she occupied earlier.

Sasuke relaxed slightly when they sat down, looking ahead at the light traffic from above the flower bed. He turned to see the girl's gaze fixed on the traffic ahead as well. "Sakura, was it?" he asked just for clarification sake.

"Yes," she nodded, turning to face him then turned abruptly away when she registered the proximity.

It was strange to sit so closely to a person besides Naruto so the new predicament left him confused as to how to act. His hands gripped the ends of the seat as he bowed his head forward, observing his feet as they kicked softly at the ground.

"I'm so happy you came," Sakura started, her sweet breath swept towards him by the gentle wind.

"Sorry I'm late," he said gently, unsure if that was the right thing to be said.

"No, no," she said, hands coming up as if to shake the comment away. Eyes tilted to look at hers, he had to note how uncomfortable this situation was but was glad that it wasn't the girl that made him feel uncomfortable. "I'm just," she continued, "I dunno. I…" Her hands twisted at her lap, not knowing how to articulate her words.

He felt a pang of guilt when he realized he was going to be rejecting the girl. She looked excited and happy but fragile all the same. He turned to look back down at the ground.

"You didn't go to school today?" she said, suddenly changing the topic.

When he realized she was expecting him to reply he straightened to look back at her. "Yeah. I had work the other day."

"You do midnight shift the day before school days?"

"How did you know it was a midnight shift?" he asked, confused with the girl's last comment.

She turned away, trying to hide her eyes. He realized then that the girl would know a lot of things about him after he gathered from the letter that her crush on him would have stemmed from quite a while ago. He wasn't sure if he should feel comfortable with that knowledge though.

"Yes," he answered seeing the girl fidget at the material on her lap again. "Sometimes.

Although today's shift was only a cover."

"Oh," she said, pleased not of the answer but the change of subject.

"Do you work a lot?"

"Sometimes," he answered with a shrug.

"I sometimes go there with my friends," she said uncertainly as if she didn't know if she should be saying this. He didn't know where this was supposed to lead either. "And sometimes I see you work. You work more during the holidays, don't you?" She bit her lip after the last sentence. "That sounded really dumb, didn't it?" Her cheeks stained a light pink as she looked away again.

Seeing that the girl was just as clueless as he with their situation, he decided to bring the topic up.

"About the letter," he started when she had stayed quiet a moment too long. She seemed to straighten up as if already prepared for what he was about to say. "I'm sorry I don't feel the same."

She looked almost hurt but her eyes didn't meet his. Sasuke looked towards the traffic as well feeling guilty that he had to do this. It was already dusk and the sun was quickly disappearing behind the horizon. He could hear the birds as they flew overhead.

He could hear her smile as she prepared to say something. "I know," she said, her voice quivering only slightly, "but again, I really am happy that you came."

He turned to see her smile, a little forced if not grateful.

"I was beginning to feel a little obsessive with all the letters I gave you," she continued with a small laugh. "Thank you for coming. I appreciate it."

Sasuke wondered just how many letters the girl had sent him. Then he wondered why she had continued sending them as well. The wind blew her fringe over her eyes and she reached out to place the strands behind her ears. Vaguely he thought of Naruto, knowing that if the boy had met her he'd like her instantly. She exuded a girly, feminine vibe – those that seem to attract Naruto the most. That thought made him feel bitter, angry and a little hurt so he looked away not wanting to be reminded of it.

"That's okay," he managed to reply belatedly.

A moment of silence elapsed with neither of them knowing what to say. The sky was beginning to tinge a light purple-red, the clouds scattered zigzag against the backdrop. Sakura cleared her throat once before she spoke again.

"Do you... already have someone special, Sasuke-kun?" she asked, her voice nervous from treading unfamiliar grounds.

"What makes you say that?" he asked casually.

"Well… you know… it's just…." She drew in a shaky breath before she continued. "I just thought that since you seem so disinterested most of the time that you already had someone in mind, is all." Her hands twisted against her lap again. "Am I intruding?"

Sasuke stood up and straightened himself at that. "Yes, you are," he replied as he looked at her one last time before turning to gesture that their meeting was over. He wasn't in the mood to answer questions that did not concern her and he didn't want her to feel like they were friends now that he had responded to her letter. As he began to walk away he could hear her stand, heard her apologize profusely to his back but he didn't turn around. If she wanted to get over him it was better left this way.

Walking back from where he came from he saw that the couple by the seat had already left and the kids in the playground with their parents had probably gone home. He enjoyed the calm, the serenity and the low humming of traffic ahead but paused in his step when he saw a familiar figure running towards him, arriving in a blurring blond heap.

"You!" Naruto cried, hands flying with plastic bags. He bent forward, rushing for breath, the heavy bags dragging him further down. Then his head snapped up, eyes glinting in mischief. "Who did you just meet up with?"

Sasuke blinked. "What are you talking about?"

"Don't think I don't know!" he almost screamed, still trying to recover himself. "I ran all this way from the market" – and here he gestured to someplace behind him – "and you're gonna pretend that I didn't see you?" His smile took on a perverted form. "So who was it? Who was the girl? Kinda cute, I'd say." His eyes scrunched up as he yelled, "Why have you not told me about your girlfriend!"

Sasuke kicked him in the shin and started walking away. Naruto screamed in pain before screaming at him. "What the hell was that for?"

Sasuke shrugged, hands in his pockets. "For being embarrassing."

"What do you mean?" he asked, offended. Adjusting his hold on his groceries, he ran after him. "Are you really not gonna tell me who that girl was? What is this? When did you start secretly seeing her behind my back? Why are you not answering me?"

Sasuke tried to ignore the incessant talk from the blond all the while thinking how he had put up with him all that time. He wondered if the blond ever thought before he spoke or if he just shared whatever went on in his mind. He had a strong feeling it was the latter.

"You know," Naruto's voice seeped back into his consciousness, "you better tell me quick. I need to get back to my mum. And these bags" – he lifted the plastics as if to emphasize the point – "are seriously heavy."

Sasuke stopped in his tracks and turned towards him. "Fine," he began, "I'll tell you." Naruto smiled as he shifted his feet to a stop. "I received her letter today when we went to collect my books. And you know how you told me to stop being such a bastard? Well…" He paused, seeing the satisfied smirk on his friend's face. "Well I went to see her."

Naruto only continued smiling until it dawned on him that he should speak. "Wow," he said, "you actually listened."

"You mean I wasn't supposed to meet her?"

"No, no, no," he said, shaking his head. "You did the right thing. We're having some progress here." The grin on his face only made Sasuke realize that he was self-congratulating himself inside and he rolled his eyes at the knowledge. Not seeming to notice however, Naruto asked, "So you like her?"

"What do you think?" he asked rhetorically.

Naruto pursed his lips, dissatisfied. "Well," he said finally, "as long as you're responding to the letters. I'm pretty sure you'll graduate from emotional school soon enough. By the way, I bumped into Lee before," his voice took on a happier note. "It's his birthday this Friday and he's having a house party. You wanna come?"

"Not sure," he replied as he tried to ignore the insult before, "I have work Saturday morning."

"Can't you just cancel it?" Naruto suggested. "What did I tell you today about not over-working yourself?"

Sasuke frowned. "I can't just cancel."

"Why not? It's not like you've ever done it before. Make up some excuse; I'm sure they'll believe you."

"I won't believe me," he countered. "And besides, you know I don't like parties."

"Can't you just come for me?" Naruto whined. "I'll be bored without you!"

"No you won't," he stated matter-of-factly.

They suddenly heard a familiar voice crying out Naruto's name from the background. Turning to the direction of the voice they saw the boy's mother calling for him from her parked car just at the end of the block. Naruto waved his occupied hands at her, the weight of the bags making it awkward, to let him know he'll be a moment. He turned back to Sasuke, last pleading look in place before he said, "At least think about it." He walked away, slowing only to say, "I'll offer a lift but we need to drop by my mum's friend's place to get something. See you in class!" Sasuke looked at the retreating back, saw him place the bags in the boot of the car and entering the passenger's seat before turning away.

Sasuke was sure he wouldn't be going to the party. But Lee's birthday suddenly reminded him that the semester was about to finish and he needed to let his manager know of his availability for the coming break. It wasn't as if he particularly liked working at the fast-food restaurant but the pay was good for a guy his age. He only wished that time would speed up for him to be able to move out of his house.

Streetlights had long been turned on as he walked down the quiet street towards his house. When he arrived home, he stopped just beyond the gates looking in at the simple double-storey; its cream-color weatherboard duplicated throughout the street. The mellow lighting was on in the kitchen and lounge indicating his father's return. Standing just beyond the property he couldn't help but imagine the day he would be leaving the place. He wasn't going to be dramatic and say that it was hell for him for the past sixteen years living in that vicinity, but he knew that leaving the place would only do him good. No more unpleasant memories, no more judging eyes, no more notes outside his door replacing conversations; he would be having better housemates.

Yes, he thought. That's all they were: housemates.

The gate creaked as he opened them but glided softly as it closed. He could hear soft conversation between his two housemates as he entered, quietly going back to his room. He would be eating dinner when they were finished so he had some time to look at the English assignment he had brought home earlier. He switched the light on, closed the door and walked towards his desk.

The two letters were still on his books and he briefly wondered if he should keep them. Then he realized what he was thinking and scrunched up the two, throwing it in the waste-basket beside his desk. There was no point in keeping things that had no meaning.

Opening his textbook, he looked over the chapter his class was on and made a start on his homework.

TBC


	3. III: Together 05

I : III : Together 0.5

Naruto walked to school the next morning feeling happy and light-headed. His track result from yesterday still occupied his mind bringing about a smile he couldn't wipe off. It was a bit windy today, the clouds obscuring the sun from view so he was glad he didn't have practice. Running in humid conditions wasn't something he was particularly fond of, the sweat feeling as if it were permanently coated onto his skin.

Entering the school gates he saw that a few students were still hanging about outside, waiting for the first bell to ring before they entered. He walked past the small groups and into the main building, heading up the stairs for his locker. Some students greeted him dully, the early week an unpleasant notion, as he gathered his things for first period. Heading back downstairs, he went to his first class.

The room was only half filled when he entered, some classmates turning to acknowledge him as he made his way to his usual seat at the back. Plopping his books down, and then himself, he turned to face the neighbor on his right who was currently gazing emptily outside the window.

"What you looking at?"

Sasuke turned to face him, noted his happy expression before nodded in greeting. Then he turned back to the window and Naruto couldn't help but blink in surprise at the unusual gesture.

"Something wrong?"

Sasuke shook his head, only muttering, "Didn't sleep much."

"Did you end up doing the assignment?" Naruto asked, shifting more comfortably in his seat.

"Yeah," was the lazy reply.

The classroom was slowly filling up, the starting bell ringing not long afterwards. Soon the teacher arrived and class started for them as per usual.

It was Maths in the morning followed by Science and a double period of Japanese, which Naruto abhorred (although if he were to be honest, he would say he hated every single subject at school). Not paying much attention, he spent his time busily drawing his version of the perfect girl, making sure to exaggerate her chest and hips. He scrunched up the paper and threw the finished result to Sasuke, only scowling when the boy looked at it indifferently before throwing it back. It didn't surprise him though; Sasuke was always apathetic to these sorts of things, which made Naruto conclude that he was just slow in the developing department. The thought made him laugh inwardly – Sasuke falling behind in anything was a rare occurrence.

He took out a piece of folder paper and decided to pass the boy some notes.

_Hey, you should come over tonight. I have new stock._

He stared at his friend intently, wondering if the boy knew what he was referring to. Sasuke only looked at it briefly before answering and returned the note back.

_No. Pay attention._

Naruto tried desperately to muffle his laughter. The guy in front of him turned around to give him a weird look before he collected himself and pretended nothing was wrong. It was amusing how proper Sasuke's personality was.

_It's two female gaijin working at a coffee shop. Should be interesting._

_I'm sure._

He giggled some more.

_So you've decided on Lee's?_

If the teacher had decided to look over at that moment, he wouldn't be able to tell that Sasuke was in the middle of passing scribbles. His demeanour and everything about him looked the same as how he usually attended class: quiet, serious, and full of concentration. How he pulled off these things was always a wonder to Naruto and briefly he thought that Sasuke could be the most deceiving person if he wanted to.

_I told you I have work. And besides, the last time I went with you you left me with a bunch of those annoying girls for the whole night. I'm not gonna forget that._

He snickered once again before passing his message back. That had been somewhat amusing seeing his friend crowded by drunken girls. He had looked like he could've murdered them all then and there. Naruto thought that drunken girls or not they all acted the same around Sasuke.

_Anyone else and they'd be grateful. I thought you were having fun._

_Well, I wasn't._

He was about to pass back his response when the teacher stopped him.

"Naruto, care to let the class know what you're trying to tell Sasuke?"

There were small laughter as heads turned towards him. He cursed himself for not being able to be more like Sasuke with his expressions. Embarrassed, he gave a nervous laugh before shaking his head.

"No, sir."

The teacher walked down the classroom towards his seat and Naruto felt the familiar feeling of doom. He grabbed hold of the note before Naruto could notice and smirked when he read the first few contents. Naruto sank down in his seat, knowing the laughter to come.

"So you have stock of two female gaijin working at a coffee shop, Naruto?" He deliberately emphasized 'stock' and 'gaijin' making sure the class understood the implications. "What could you possibly mean by that?" The room erupted with laughter, some girls acting enraged, as he sank lower in his seat. The teacher handed the paper back to him before walking to the front of class.

"If I catch you passing notes again, Naruto, it'll be detention."

Naruto gave a weak "yes" before the class continued. Beside him, he could see Sasuke trying to mask his smirk but he knew what the other was thinking. Risking the chance of detention he reached out his leg and gave Sasuke's chair a hard kick, smiling when he saw Sasuke trying to maintain balance_. Take that!_ He inwardly cheered as he focused back onto the blackboard.

-o-o-o-

When lunch came Naruto found himself heading towards the principal's office. His Japanese teacher had told him just as class ended but hadn't known himself what it was about. Looking enviously at Sasuke's back as the boy made his way to the cafeteria, he had no choice but to turn the opposite direction towards the offices. His stomach rumbled as he made his way there, hoping desperately that whatever it was wouldn't take too long.

He knocked on the door twice before turning the knob and entering. His principal was an old man, reaching probably his sixties, with a short white beard that reached the length of his short neck. He was seated behind a pile of papers, his short form covered from the mess. When Naruto entered, he quickly removed the piles, parting them like the red sea before gesturing the boy to sit down. He wore a warm smile in place as Naruto made himself comfortable.

Naruto's principal was a friendly, easy-going person who tried to get to know as many students as he could. And for that, Naruto really liked him. Back in his younger days when he'd played pranks and skipped classes he'd been happier being sent to the principle's office than spending detention with other teachers. The man hadn't made him do much more than just sit there: sometimes talking, sometimes telling jokes, and only rare occasions would he give him serious lectures. Now, the occasions were less frequent if not any at all and sitting back inside that same office from yester-years found himself feeling slightly nostalgic.

"Hello, Naruto. How're you?"

He was leaning against his leather seat, arms crossed as he looked at him with a weird glint in his sagely eyes.

"Good," Naruto replied, then added, "What's up?" to prompt the old man. As much as he liked the man, his stomach was currently growling from the light breakfast he had.

"I heard about your result yesterday from your coach."

He beamed immediately at this, loving the acknowledgement.

"How do you feel," he asked.

"Great!" he nodded enthusiastically. "I surprised myself too. When coach told me the time I was off the moon!"

His principal chuckled lightly at him. "It is a great result."

When Naruto only continued to laugh joyously, his principal said: "What do you think of transferring to Osaka High, Naruto?"

The sudden shift of topic startled him before he could register what was said. Then, as if testing the frozen muscles in his mouth he asked, "Osaka High?"

His principal only leaned back against his seat enjoying the reaction. "Yes, Osaka High", he said. "You do know that school, yes?"

Naruto couldn't find himself to nod. His pulse was beginning to pound excitedly in his ears making him feel so very light. Osaka High School was the number one high school in the country to specialise in the track and field sports. Admittance were strictly for students with scholarships and having scholarships meant that either you were a genius academic or you had athletic results they approved of. And if you were a student there for the sport it meant that your future was pretty much set since all the students there were involved in the international under 18's.

"As you can see," the man continued knowing quite well the thoughts running through Naruto's head, "your results for the 800 metres middle-distance race are quite spectacular since Osaka High School is considering offering you a scholarship. The scholarship is for your last two senior years and they will be sending through all the paperwork in a couple of weeks for the new semester. This means, Naruto, that no matter how you do in the upcoming competition, you're going to Osaka."

He paused waiting for a response but Naruto found himself utterly speechless. To be honest, Naruto never thought that he'd be going to Osaka, the talented province that produced many great runners in the country. If he was lucky he was thinking he'd be going to Tokyo because… well because Sasuke was going and he never really thought twice about it. But this… this was a chance of a lifetime!

"O-osaka?" he finally uttered. "I never thought…" But he couldn't stop his eyes from beaming at the notion, from his heart that raced excitedly against his chest. To be able to measure himself against the elite in the country, in the _world_ had always been a dream of his.

Unbelieving, he looked at his principal and searched for any falsity in those eyes one last time before he could acknowledge the news and screamed in exhilaration.

-o-o-o-

Walking out of the office, Naruto couldn't contain his excitement. He had the impulsive urge to tell everyone of his good news, to slam open the cafeteria doors and scream to all the students in there: "Guess what? I'm going to Osaka High! Me! Uzumaki Naruto!" The idea made him feel jittery; couldn't stand still, made his hands sweat. But he managed to contain himself and instead walk the familiar paths towards the school's rooftop.

He skipped four steps at a time, holding onto the rail firmly in case he'd fall. When he opened the doors, he hastily made his way around to the other side to find his friend. Times like these when Sasuke was left alone for lunch the boy always came here. It was always secluded and quiet and Naruto guessed that without him around his friend would most likely prefer to avoid the fan girls in the cafeteria.

It was easy to spot him leaning against the concrete wall, his head tilted to the side. Naruto leapt enthusiastically towards him but stopped short when he noticed that his friend was sleeping. He frowned, a little disappointed, before he bent forward, inching closer.

He only needed to wait a few seconds before the eyelids fluttered open. Sasuke was always a light sleeper.

"Tired, much?"

Sasuke took the time to yawn and stretch himself as he plopped his body next to the boy. Seeing his lunch beside his friend he quickly grabbed it and unwrapped the plastic.

"Why'd you get called in?" Sasuke asked after a moment as he saw him digging into the sandwich.

Naruto decided to finish his lunch before he answered, trying to keep the suspense high. It took him four bites and half a can of juice before he turned to look at his friend. "You wouldn't believe it," he started to say, eyes stretched unbelievably wide. Sasuke only looked at him quizzically, wondering what was going on.

"Well," he continued. "Do you remember me telling you about Osaka High School?"

"The supposedly cool school you wanted to go in to?" Sasuke answered before realisation dawning on him after a quick beat.

"They're offering me a scholarship starting next semester!"

Naruto looked pleased when Sasuke couldn't hide his shock. "Isn't that great?" he continued. "They're sending me all the forms and stuff soon for me to enrol. You know how I'm always dreaming of making it big. Well, maybe it won't be a dream after all!" Naruto looked at him eagerly, the smile still there.

"Wow," he said after a short pause. "That's…"

"Amazing?" Naruto supplied. He turned his back to lean on the wall again. "Who would've thought, right? I'm still feeling all hyper from hearing it myself."

"Good on you," Sasuke said.

"Thanks," he answered cheerily.

"So you'll be going?"

He turned to Sasuke in an instant. "Definitely! Are you crazy? It 's the best thing ever!"

"What about your parents?"

Naruto paused briefly. He hadn't actually thought about them yet. But the idea of being accepted into such a prestigious school would definitely beat winning titles in country tournaments this time around. "They'll be fine. It's gonna be easier convincing them now, wouldn't it?"

"Let's hope so," Sasuke said quietly.

Naruto smiled. "Yeah." He turned back again, leaning his head against the wall. "It's gonna be amazing! Osaska's such a big city. Everything's gonna be so different. I can't wait!"

"Yeah," he agreed next to him.

"And there'll be so many people, and night stalls and entertainment… I'm dizzy just thinking about it."

"Well, you should keep me posted."

Naruto stopped. "What?" He turned to look at Sasuke again, shock and confusion all wrapped up in one.

Sasuke didn't meet his gaze; instead he tilted his head towards the sky. "Keep me posted. Unless you don't want to."

"What do you mean?"

"It's not like I have a scholarship."

He said it simply, no bitterness or jealousy, just a plain statement. Naruto's reaction was delayed for a second before he said, "Can't you?"

It was this time now that Sasuke turned towards him. "Naruto, can't you use your head sometimes?" He huffed a small, annoyed breath.

"Well, I'm not asking you to suddenly take up the sport," Naruto quickly defended. "But, like, do some sort of test or something. I'm sure you'll get in. You're the smartest person in our grade. Probably the school."

"You're exaggerating."

"Can't you try?" Naruto looked at his friend pleadingly, most likely because the idea was finally sinking in. From the moment he'd heard the news he'd automatically assumed that Sasuke would be going too. They'd been together for so long that he saw the two of them as the one entity.

"If they had some sort of test to take it'd probably be over since they're already sending out forms for you. And besides, even if I did get in, I wouldn't be able to afford it."

"But it's a _scholarship_!"

"I have to live, you know? Osaka's expensive."

"But you've been working heaps! You told me you saved up!" He was beginning to raise his voice, losing his patience by the second.

"It's not enough."

"I'll pay for you," he offered.

"How're you gonna do that?"

"I'll get my parents or something."

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because I don't want that. Your parents aren't rich, you know."

"You don't want me to pay for you or you don't want to go?"

Sasuke stilled at that, his eyes widening just enough to indicate his disbelief.

"So I can go with you to Tokyo, but you can't come with me to Osaka," he said spitefully. His friend continued to look at him disbelievingly but Naruto only ignored the expression. He couldn't believe that Sasuke was going to take an exit on him after all those years. Inside, he was feeling so angry he could explode.

"I want to go to Tokyo in two years. You want to go to Osaka _now_." Sasuke was trying to sound logical and reasonable but even then he couldn't contain the annoyance in his voice.

"Then figure a way," he said irrationally. "You're not even trying."

"And you're not listening."

"What do you mean I'm not listening? _You're_ not listening."

"Stop being an idiot."

"_You're_ being an idiot."

"That's very intelligent, Naruto," he said sarcastically. He stood up as he said that, dusting himself in the process. Naruto shadowed the action immediately not wanting the argument to end.

"Where are you going?" he asked impatiently as the boy headed towards the door.

"Maybe when you can start using that brain of yours properly next time," Sasuke said condescendingly, "we can talk then."

Naruto's steps faltered at that. "What if I don't want to talk then!" he yelled at the retreating back. Frustrated, he turned and kicked at the door roughly, the metal slamming loudly against the cement behind as the boy disappeared before him. The sound echoed sharply in his ear connecting with the discomfort that was beginning to settle in his stomach. _How dare he!_ he fumed as stood there looking at the empty staircase.

-o-o-o-

They ignored each other for the remaining of the day and then the next. It suited Naruto perfectly fine, he hung out with Lee and his mates and it was fun. Even though he'd always been a friend with Lee during the short time he joined the karate club at school he hadn't actually met the boy's friends. They were warm and inviting and joked around a lot, which was refreshing to how Sasuke and him was. Being with them made him realise just how serious his best friend was most of the times, how they would always argue, always fight and then end up ignoring each other afterwards. It annoyed the hell out of Naruto and he couldn't understand why they just couldn't be…_normal_.

But on a happier note, word about his transfer had somehow spread through his year level with first the teachers congratulating him and then his classmates. Sometimes students whom he didn't know would shout out to him from across the hall. It made him feel somewhat like a celebrity and he revelled in all the attention. The attention consumed his mind, made him forget about his annoying relationship with Sasuke and he found himself enjoying the time apart.

However when Friday came and Sasuke didn't come see him practice, a part of him came to feel a bit unsettled. He'd very naturally searched for the sight of his friend after his race but had completely forgotten that they were supposed to be mad at each other. It was an odd feeling not seeing him there. He'd been so used to Sasuke waiting for him after practice and going home together that it had become routine for them. Suddenly, he wondered if that was how it would be like if he moved to Osaka and his friend stayed behind. He wasn't sure if he was up for a relationship through letters.

He packed his gear when his coach dismissed the team, his mind still struggling to figure out what to do. In his deep-thinking state, he hadn't noticed when someone draped an arm over him.

"Man, that was a killer!"

Shook out of his reverie, he turned to see that it was Ken, one of Lee's friends. Ken was in the 400-metres but sometimes they'd compete against each other when they took part in mock-marathons. Ken swung his bag onto the other side of him, making himself more comfortable.

"So you coming to Lee's tonight?" he asked easily.

Naruto managed a nod although he wasn't so sure anymore. He didn't want to go to a party looking all depressed and making the mood for others awkward. And he wasn't sure if he could wipe all the thoughts he had at the moment for tonight.

Sensing something wrong, Ken dropped his arm and decided to just walk alongside him instead. "Well, you know," he said, "you can always bring a friend along. I don't think Lee would mind."

Naruto's head jerked at that. "What? No, no. It's fine. It's not like I don't know you guys or something," he tried to reassure.

Ken looked at him worriedly. "You still not talking to that friend of yours?"

He couldn't find himself to say anything so he only remained quiet.

Ken shrugged before he stopped walking altogether. "Well," he said, "I'm heading off this way." He gestured to a connecting street before he spared another concerned look. "I'll see you tonight?"

"Yeah," Naruto answered before Ken walked away.

Looking at Ken's retreating form Naruto vaguely wondered if he should head over to Lee's. Even if he weren't sure if he would be going tonight maybe seeing him would somehow give him answers – as weird as that may sound it could possibly be true. So, changing direction he made a turn to the left and walked down a street he hoped belong to his friend's.

-o-o-o-

Amazingly it only took him ten minutes before he reached the boy's house. He'd only been there once but it was relatively easy to get to by memory. Lee's house looked very much like his with the same colored bricks and timber door. If he were to think about it just about every house in their town looked the same: only alternating between orange bricks and cream-color weatherboards. Sasuke once told him that their town was the third biggest in their province topographically but it was the least inhabited. For a country that is so vastly populated it was rather ironic. But then again, every country had their share of neglected land and it was just unlucky for them that they were part of that share.

He waited patiently by the front porch after the first ring of the bell and it was Lee's mother who first greeted him. "Naruto-kun! How nice of it to see you! Come on in! You looking for Lee-chan?"

Lee's mother was the carbon copy of Lee with the same greasy hair and rounded eyes. They spoke with the same amount of energy and excitement in their voices that made Naruto flinch at times. Not that it was necessarily a bad thing but the _volume_ of it just always stayed _same_. He gave a small smile to the woman before he stepped inside and replied politely, "Yes, Mrs. Lee. Is he in his room?"

"Of course!" Then, "Lee-chan, Naruto-kun is here!"

Down the corridor, Lee's head poked out before he revealed himself. "Naruto-kun! Hello there! But the party doesn't start till later." At home he was dressed in his green-colored spandex, the tight material sticking to his skin outlining his muscled frame. Naruto smiled weakly at him before he gave a deep bow to the woman and headed towards the corridor.

Lee liked to keep his room neat for his training. He preferred a futon because he could clear it when he needed and the desk he used for homework was really just a small table where he could move around. There was a punching bag in the center and timber floorboards throughout. As he stepped inside, Lee quickly went to his cupboard and grabbed two cushions for them to sit on.

"I was just doing some practice," Lee said in that excited pitch of voice of his.

Naruto nodded, looking at the dark-blue punching bag that was slowing swaying from one side to another, the after-effects of a good work out.

"So Naruto-kun, what are you doing here?"

Lee always went straight to the point and Naruto didn't know whether or not to be grateful. To be honest he didn't know what to say now that he was in Lee's house and he suddenly wondered if it was a good idea to begin with. What if Lee couldn't give him answers? What happens then?

He fidgeted with the material of his pants before giving a nervous laugh. Lee only looked at him eagerly as if he was going to tell him something tremendous. Naruto scanned the room, noticing the blanket jutting out from the closed cupboard on his right to the poster of Bruce Lee on his left. "I… um…" he began but stopped when his head continue to give him a blank.

"Is it about Sasuke-san?"

Naruto jolted when he heard that. He looked up immediately at Lee, eyes bulging. "You- you can tell?" his voice squeaked.

Lee only shook his head in the negative. "No, I only guessed."

Naruto didn't know what to say to that so he only remained quietly on his cushion.

"Now, Naruto-kun," Lee began to say heatedly, "lets not let little things ruin the best times of our youth! Talk to me, tell me everything!"

Lee's eyes took on that eager look again, like an excited puppy dog about to be fed. Naruto only sighed wearily, slouching in his position and wondering if this was indeed the right thing to do.

-o-o-o-

It was during the time when the sun descended the horizon the quickest that Naruto decided it was time to make his trip out. Walking down the darkened streets of his neighborhood, he walked the familiar path towards Sasuke's, the plastic clanging softly by his side. Lee had told him that the best way for the whole thing to blow over was to make each other forget that it even happened which, for Naruto, naturally meant that they drink themselves stupid. That was usually how movies did things, wasn't it? And there's a saying that went like art imitating life – or something like that.

Lee had told to him to forget about the party and just patch things up with Sasuke instead which Naruto felt grateful but also extremely guilty. He'd never saw himself as a transparent person but apparently anyone could tell that he'd been mulling over the issue for a bit too long. Now he felt like a total drag for getting others worried and so he promised himself to mask his emotions more carefully next time.

When he approached the doorstep to Sasuke's house his heartbeat quickened slightly. It was getting late and he was feeling nervous of the sight of Sasuke's parents. He was never really good with them most likely because Sasuke never said anything good about them to him. He took a big breath to calm himself before pressing the bell and hiding the bag he was holding.

He could hear footsteps approaching on the other side before the door opened and he was greeted - quite sternly – by Sasuke's mother. She was a tall woman with the same colored hair and eyes as Sasuke's. If she were to cut her length the same as the boy's they would look almost exactly the same with the pale complexion and skinny frame. Trying not to get sidetracked, he bowed politely at her before asking, "Is Sasuke upstairs?" She looked at him for a moment longer before nodding and leaving him to walk back towards the living room. Naruto changed his shoes and carefully made his way upstairs trying to muffle any noise from the bottles in his hand.

The floor upstairs pretty much belonged to Sasuke since his parents slept downstairs and there was no reason that they go up. Although the first day of every month when his mother did house cleaning she did go upstairs to clean the empty room next to his. It had freaked him out when he heard that the room belonged to his brother and even still knowing that his mother cleaned it religiously. To maintain it for twelve years just showed how unhealthy the parent's obsession was.

He could hear the shower running as he reached the last step. Naruto made his way quietly inside his friend's room, flicking on the night lamp beside the bed once he entered. He placed the bag down and leaned against the headboard of Sasuke's bed. The room was meticulously neat just like his personality, Naruto thought dimly. Always in order, never out of place, almost perfect.

He bent low to reach inside the bag and grabbed hold of one of the bottles; there was no telling how long Sasuke was going to be. The drink was watery but slightly bitter leaving him with a sour aftertaste. He personally preferred beer but his father's _sake_ was the only thing he could find in the house. By the time he downed half the contents the shower stopped and within moments Sasuke went in.

He was still wet from the shower, the droplets sliding down his bony chest and landing on the towel around his waist. Sasuke didn't seem too shocked at seeing him on his bed, bottle in hand. Instead, he walked towards his cupboard and pulled out another towel to dry himself. Naruto wondered, as he eyed the silent movements if the boy had missed him as much as he did. The familiarity of the boy was enough to tug at something inside of him, made him feel warm and content.

He didn't know when Sasuke finished dressing himself or when the boy sat on the bed next to him and he'd mindlessly passed him the bottle. But they continued to sit in silence – Sasuke not once asking why he had _sake_ and them drinking it like it was something they'd always done. Vaguely he wondered how much Sasuke could drink: who would win between the two of them if they were to compete?

As he reached to discard the first bottle and replace it with the second, Sasuke asked, "Why aren't you at Lee's?" It was so sudden that he jolted and the empty bottle fell and rolled away from his fingers. There was a small 'clang' as it hit the leg of the bed and stayed. Collecting himself, he managed a shrug and, opening the bottle, brought it close to his lips.

"Didn't feel like it anymore."

It was much easier drinking the second bottle now and he wondered if perhaps that was a sign that he'd had too much to drink. The liquid slid down his throat easily and although it was still bitter it was only faintly so. He passed the bottle to Sasuke but the boy only refused so he ended up drinking more.

"I had practice today."

He said that when he leaned back against the head board, feeling his cheeks heating and his vision blurring slightly. The light beside the bed made everything seem so mellow, so comfortable.

"It was strange, not seeing you there waiting for me. It made me feel... misplaced. Like it wasn't real, like I suddenly didn't belong. And then I thought, is this how it'd be like when I go to Osaka? 'Cause if it is then that'd really suck."

He laughed dryly at that. It seemed like a joke: to be together all this time only to find out that it didn't matter. But maybe he was over exaggerating things. Maybe he'd let things go a bit out of focus. He was treating Osaka like it was a foreign land when in reality, if Sasuke wanted, it was probably only a 4 hour train ride to get to.

_But why did it feel..._

"I know I'm being selfish. After all it's my dream and not yours. But I... I just... I..."

He was beginning to feel nervous again, his chest felt tight against him. He let out a breath to stabilize himself before he continued.

"I just want you to know that... you don't have to go to Osaka with me but I'd really like it if you did."

There, he'd said it. And Sasuke can do whatever he wanted with that confession. But the boy only remained silent and if he were to think about it properly, Sasuke had been unusually quiet all night. He turned to the side to see him, thinking vaguely that maybe the boy had fallen asleep but didn't know what to think when he saw that he wasn't. Sasuke was staring blankly at the blanket they were sitting on, his hands feeling at the folds and smoothing them out. He didn't seem like he was paying attention but between them and the silent walls Naruto knew that he'd heard.

"Sasuke?"

Very slowly, he looked up, his eyes looking tired and weary like he hadn't been sleeping properly. Naruto hadn't noticed it, but this close he could see the slight bags forming underneath those eyes just like how he could smell the shampoo he'd used from before in the shower. It smelt fruity, citrusy, reminding him of a girl he used to date when he was fourteen. If he closed his eyes now, he could probably see her in his mind - her short black hair and pale skin and skinny frame. It was the one girlfriend that Sasuke hadn't seen and he had kept it so only having dates during times when Sasuke worked at the food market back then. It didn't last long though; he hadn't been able to handle the risk that Sasuke find out about her. He'd been too afraid of what he'd think.

Sasuke inched closer yet and he could see the wet mess on his shoulders from the moistened part of his hair. He could smell the _sake_ on his breath when he breathed and dimly was he aware that they might be getting a bit too close.

"Sasuke..." he managed to say and his eyes were looking at darkened ones whose bangs had somehow fallen across one, hiding it.

"Naruto..." Sasuke said instead and within their distance he only needed to whisper. His heart was racing insanely inside of him and all he could do was try and contain his ragged breathing. "... can you kiss me?"

TBC

gaijin - westerner


	4. IV: Together 1

A/N: I figured, if I can still remember the storyline after five years, I should be writing it down. Enjoy!

I : IV : Together 1

In the dimness of the room, Sasuke wondered if the shadows that danced across Naruto's widened eyes were a mirror of his self or the confusion that must be wringing inside his best friend's mind. He should have expected, should have known the reaction he would receive and yet it did nothing to stop the pain that attacked his chest like a large, heavy ball that pressed and continued to press until it was almost too difficult to breathe.

"Can I," he tried again, hoping somehow that the ball would dislodge so that maybe he could stop himself _shaking_ as well, "...kiss you then?"

He wondered if this was perhaps the most inept confession in the history of mankind, but by now it was simply too late to back away. Sasuke braced his nerves and summoned the rest of his courage long enough so that he could close their distance and press their lips together.

There was a startled gasp, light and feathery that fanned Sasuke's lips. He could feel his insides melting, surely, with all the heat that suddenly gathered in his throat and making their quick descent to his stomach. Sasuke waited one second, two, for the inevitable shove to separate them, but when it didn't come he closed his already half drawn eyes and let his body do the thinking.

His left hand reached to cradle the side of Naruto's cheek, seeking purchase before he angled himself properly and pressed their lips together again. He could almost taste the tang from the _sake_ they'd been drinking on the corner of those lips, before he gently nudged his tongue inside. Naruto's mouth was hot and moist, a delicious pull that made his fingers curl as he found himself pressing closer and closer as if to remove all matters of distance.

Sasuke didn't think too much on what could be on Naruto's mind. All he could focus on was the heat that was beginning to thread their bodies together like lovers, tight and intimate. And that thought made him blush just as two hands came to rest on his waist. He could feel that exquisite heat again, emanating from slightly calloused palms before Naruto's tongue began movements against his. Then, it was as if they were _really_ lovers as their tongues danced a familiar rhythm, slow and languid, as if they'd done this all their lives.

From then, everything became instinctive as he raised himself to drape a leg across Naruto, sitting atop him so that their groins met. He made a few slow thrusts, feeling the friction do such wondrous things to his mind that he couldn't help breaking their kisses intermittently to let escape a gasp. Naruto rubbed his palms encouragingly up and down his back, almost teasing the thin shirt he was wearing as he began to trail light kisses downwards. When those lips descended to his neck and stopped at the juncture between neck and shoulder, Sasuke could almost hear Naruto inhale deeply against the tumult in his mind.

"Oh, man," Naruto sighed heavily, voice so low that Sasuke almost missed it with all the delicious senses that were attacking him. "We must be really drunk."

It took Sasuke a few seconds to reel in his senses, momentarily stopping his movements so he could look at the boy. Naruto was looking at him with dazed eyes, almost unfocused, so he reached forward and kissed the boy's forehead, then his nose before reaching now-bruised lips and asking distractedly, "what?"

Naruto reached in for the kiss before repeating. "We must be really drunk," he whispered again. "I can't believe we're doing this." His eyes tried to focus on Sasuke's and the latter could just about make out the unabashed lust lurking in their depths. "We're gonna have sex, aren't we?"

Sasuke's eyes widened. His heart suddenly thudded three-fold against his chest, the suggestion making him blush all-over. When he saw the seriousness of Naruto's face, his voice whispered, slightly quivering, "d-do you want to?", the sound almost inaudible against the rush of nerves that were now flooding him, from embarrassment or excitement he wasn't quite sure.

"I don't know." Naruto was searching his eyes. "I mean, we're gonna forget about this tomorrow morning anyway, right? Isn't that how movies go?"

And just like that, the flood turned ice-cold, almost making him flinch. There was something seriously wrong with the way his heart seemed to have suddenly ceased pounding in his ears and all he could make out was the quietness that was his room. Sasuke held onto Naruto's gaze a moment longer and wondered if maybe he'd heard wrong.

"Did you want to forget tomorrow morning?" he found himself asking a slow beat later.

"Yeah," Naruto breathed, eyes slowly downcast.

His arms fell from their hold on either side of Naruto's neck, the boy's word stinging him as much as the eyes that were now avoiding his were. Then, he was leaning himself away, slowly away from the body that had drawn him so close, until he fell back onto the side. He was no longer touching the boy, and neither was the boy touching him, a detail that made his insides wrench sharply, as if he'd been stabbed.

"Why do you want to forget?" he found himself asking, then winced at the weakness that leaked into his voice. He didn't want to know the answer, already knew the answer, but Naruto didn't make it any easier with his response, no matter how softly it was.

"Because we're friends."

He wished somehow that the ground would give and bury him. That the pain that suddenly balled in his chest would liquefy and disappear. He wished that the heat that gathered in his eyes like an inferno wave would freeze so that he could look at Naruto and nod and say, 'okay, sure', like all the times he'd imagined his confession to have failed. Instead, all he could do was grab fistfuls of the covers beneath his hold and wrench so tightly that he could see his knuckles go white, as he tried to steady his breathing and perhaps hide himself from the damn tears.

"Sasu-"

"You should go," he interrupted, with as much composure he could give, not ever looking up from his balled fists. He didn't want to see concern or worry or _guilt _because that's just how Naruto was, always feeling as if he was his responsibility. The tears weren't falling yet, his throat hadn't clogged up yet, so he was doing just fine.

"Sasu-"

"Just go."

His bed sprung slightly as Naruto stood to leave, feet shuffling as he picked up the _sake_ bottles and perhaps placed them neatly on the bedside table. "I'll..," he began to say, "see you tomorrow?" When Sasuke didn't respond, he continued. "I'll pick you up from work." He exited the room, closing the door quietly behind him and making his way down the stairs. Sasuke heard the front door close and then the scrape of his metal gate before he allowed himself to curl on his side and press his hands against his eyes. They didn't stop the tears from flowing but he supposed it no longer mattered.

He had always been so terribly weak.

-o-o-o-

Sasuke had ran away from home twice in all of his sixteen teenage years. Though the first time could hardly have counted because he had been five and thought that running away was like playing hide and seek, a game Naruto had only just taught him the rules of. He'd expected that his parents would look for him so he hadn't even packed any clothes or food to last more than a few hours. In the end, he had gone home by himself: cold, hungry and a little scared, for it'd been past nine o'clock on a winter's night, and there were strange noises that had begun to make him feel paranoid.

When he went home, the door was unlocked as if waiting for him and in his five year old mind, Sasuke had almost been happy for the consideration. But his parents were asleep in their room when he went to check, soundly and oblivious of his return, and it was then when he finally realised the reality of his situation. As if possessed, he found himself walking up the stairs and into his room, ignoring his hunger as he closed the door behind him. In the darkness without the lights on, Sasuke had stared at nothingness and found himself thinking that darkness was perhaps no more fearful than the couple sleeping downstairs. That night, he began the habit of locking his room.

The second time he'd ran away, he'd been twelve and convinced he'd known enough of how the world worked to get by. This time, he was no longer playing hide and seek as he went to pack four sets of clothing in a small bag as well as the 30 000 yen he'd managed to raid from his parents room when they had gone out. He went to Naruto's house first to say his goodbyes, but when it was empty he figured that he'd just write to him once he'd found a place to settle.

So Sasuke made his way to the rail station and purchased for himself a 14:15 ticket onward to Shimonoseki, the closest large town, knowing that once he'd reached there he would be able to find a job at the expanding fish market. Waiting for his train to arrive, he'd always thought that the final hour of being in his hometown would flood him with memories of everything he'd grown up with and all the experiences he'd had. But there was surprisingly none, his mind empty of all thoughts as he could see nothing but the bright blue sky ahead. It was in this trance that he hadn't noticed when Naruto had come running up to him, huffing and puffing as if he'd made his way there the first chance he got. When Sasuke focused his eyes on the boy he was startled to find that his first thoughts were that the boy's eyes matched perfectly the colour of the sky.

"Where the hell do you think you're going!", came that high-pitched shrill he was only just beginning to get used to. "You were supposed to meet me at one o'clock so we could go see a film! Luckily Lee saw you heading towards the station or else I'd be waiting by the cinemas all day!" He stopped to recover his breath, every gasp as if an exaggeration to make the other know just how spent he was.

Then, as if noticing for the first time, Naruto saw the bag he was seated with and realisation dawned on him faster than his hundred metre sprint.

"Where are you going?" he said more slowly this time, voiced laced with sudden dread.

Sasuke only turned his gaze to the station's clock, hanging precariously against the washed-out wall. 14:02. Thirteen more minutes.

"I'm leaving," he said simply.

"To where?"

"Shimonoseki."

"When're you coming back?"

"I'm not."

Naruto almost spluttered at that. "W-what? What do you mean, you're not coming back? You can't just up and leave like this! What're your parents gonna say?"

Sasuke couldn't help the scowl that crossed his features. He stood up from the bench and turned sharply down the end of the tracks. The platform had been empty besides them two so he didn't even turn to glare when Naruto raised his voice again.

"Sasuke! You can't just run away from home like that! Why the hell are you even running for?"

He continued to walk away, ignoring the blond until he felt himself being spun violently around. "Sasuke!" Naruto cried again. "Are you listening to me? You can't do that!"

He whacked the hands away from him, suddenly offended. "And why the hell not?" he yelled. "Who the hell do you think you are, telling me what to do!" He wasn't sure why he felt so angry, why he wanted to cover the boy before him with such venom when he'd appreciated Naruto for all the time the boy had made him feel less lonely. He kept telling himself that it wasn't because he had been waiting for someone else to find him. That after all these years of disappointment he'd still managed to allow his traitorous mind to hope that things were different.

"I'm your friend, Sasuke!" Naruto cried, replacing his hold on his shoulders as if prepared to shake Sasuke to his senses.

"So?" he replied icily. "I don't need you."

"Yes you do!" the boy retorted.

"No, I don't."

"Then your parents need you!"

He gave a sharp, bitter laugh, shaking off those hands again. He pinned his eyes on the blond before he opened his mouth. "Really?" he said acidly.

Naruto flinched at the tone but before he could speak, Sasuke beat him to it. "My parents hadn't needed me since the day their precious son Itachi died. I'm nothing to them but a murderer they wish to bury."

Naruto shook his head. "You're not a murderer," he said. "It was an accident. The car crashing was not your fault."

"But Itachi dying was mine."

"Only because he was trying to save you! You were four and if he hadn't covered you from the impact of the crash, _you_ would've died!"

He could've laughed at that, but he chose not to. "Well, that's it, isn't it?" He said almost too softly to be heard. "It didn't matter who died as long as it wasn't Itachi." He could feel the bitterness well in his throat, unbidden. He'd told himself countless times that that fact hadn't bothered him at all; that the fact that he wasn't meant to be alive didn't madden him in the slightest, and yet he was beginning to feel his chest constrict in anger as the emotion slowly overtook him.

"I'm sick of them," he spat. "I'm sick of them living and breathing around me as if I don't exist. I'm sick of them seeing me as only a reminder of what they failed. I wasn't meant to survive. I wasn't meant to look like Itachi when I'm not their genius child. I'm nothing. So, no, they don't need me. They _won't _need me. They might even be happy that I'm finally gone for good."

He stopped to inhale a deep breath before he continued. "You won't ever understand, Naruto. You won't ever understand how it feels to dread going back to that place everyday. To have notes telling you to do things because they can't just tell you to your face. To have money placed outside your door as if that's the only responsibility they owe. I..." He swallowed the emotion welling in his throat. "I didn't _choose_ to be ali- "

His breath was almost knocked out of him when he was suddenly pulled into a tight embrace.

"No!" Naruto yelled as his arms squeezed him even tighter. "Don't say that."

Sasuke only squeezed his eyes shut, hoping that everything would just disappear.

"You're the best thing that ever happened to me Sasuke," Naruto said, his chin digging sharply against the back of Sasuke's shoulder as if trying to make his words sink in there too. His breaths were suddenly very loud and very shallow and Sasuke found himself standing frozen in his spot as he realised that Naruto... was crying.

"You're my best friend, Sasuke. _I_ need you. No matter what happens, I will _always_ need you. So don't you dare think that way again. Don't you dare think that you could disappear and it'd be okay.

"I'm so sorry you had to go through all that. I'm so sorry that I hadn't known earlier. But I promise you that I'm gonna be there for you. Always. And I won't ever let you feel alone again."

He was still trying to digest everything when he heard the dull announcement of his train's arrival. But Naruto continued squeezing on to him, sniffling out his sobs and wrapping his arms tightly as if he might really just escape and hop onto some nameless train and be gone forever. Sasuke wondered what it'd mean if he pushed this body away now and left. He wondered if he could still imagine himself settling into a new town away from this past to start

his life again now that Naruto was actually crying for him.

When the engines churned and the wheels started rolling, Naruto's arms began to loosen. Sasuke found himself looking into a very messy face covered in tears and running snot before the boy tried to quickly wipe them away.

In the few seconds of silence with the noise of the train rolling away dully in the background, he waited for Naruto to speak as if standing at a scaffold that would anytime collapse. He wasn't sure why he was gripped with a sudden bout of anxiety but he willed his features to remain composed as Naruto finally looked up at him.

"Thank you," the boy said breathily as he looked at Sasuke with still-glistening eyes. Sasuke wasn't sure what emotion he was suddenly feeling but the smile that immediately brightened up the face before him made his body feel ridiculously lightweight. Then, Naruto went to place both palms on either side of his cheeks as if cradling him before he spoke again, relief laced with every word. "I'm glad you're here."

When he'd later gone home with Naruto and lain on the same bed next to him, he watched as his friend dozed off for the longest time he could remember. During that time Sasuke had found himself thinking that Naruto couldn't possibly have meant anything he'd said at the platform: the boy had simply been too emotional and faced with the idea of anyone leaving was enough to make people say things they didn't necessarily mean just so that they could keep them back. Yet the wick of hope was already lit inside of him, glowing dimly in the hollowness of his chest as he eyed the blond who lay mere inches away. And as the scene replayed in his mind over and over and over again, he found himself trying to store all the words spoken, every gestures made into a tightly sealed jar so that he could hold onto them forever.

Now, he still had thoughts of running away but things had irrevocably changed after that day and he knew this intrinsically. He was going to need to factor in Naruto even as he knew for certain that a day would come when they would eventually break apart and be strangers. But he was determined to forestall that day for as long as he could, until he had the right amount of preparations this time so that even without Naruto being there, he wouldn't be holding himself back as he had been that day again.

-o-o-o-

Sasuke ignored the alarm going off for the third consecutive morning and continued to stare bleary eyed at his bedroom ceiling. He'd already cancelled both of his weekend shifts so he figured skipping out on school wasn't anything to worry about. He just needed time, he thought, as he eyed a particularly interesting crack above, maybe just one more day until he could continue his life as if nothing had ever happened.

Not that it'd need to last long, he thought sardonically. In a few months time he'd be by himself anyway because Naruto would be in Osaka and living out his dreams. They'd exchange some superficial letters, of course, asking each other's well-being, if anything nice happened, but a few months down the track the exchanges will become few and far between. And it would be the most natural thing to happen, their separation, because time changes things no matter how much one refuses, and distance always made one forget.

He needed to stop feeling sorry for himself, he thought, needed to stop that sharp twinge that was clawing onto his chest like an annoying leech and grow up, or better yet, grow _out _of this stupid crush that was beginning to make him act like a sick child. Three days were more than enough to get over a non-existent heartbreak; three days were more than enough for -

"Bzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz!"

The buzzer from downstairs snapped his attention away. It was going off relentlessly as if annoyed no one had yet answered it. Sasuke didn't know who it could be so early in the day, but when it only continued he figured that the couple downstairs had probably left the house early already. He turned to see the time on his alarm - 08:14 - before he grudgingly got out of bed and went downstairs. There was a brief second of dread that passed through him, unbidden, before he unlocked the door to open it.

"Ready for school?"

Naruto stood in his entrance, donned in full school uniform and looking up at him with a blindingly bright smile.

Sasuke had never thought that he possessed above average skills in reading people, but the smile that was pasted on the boy's face as eyes came to roam over his own features was obviously strained and practiced. He stood rooted to his spot as he belatedly realised that this was probably Naruto's version of pretending that things were normal.

"Why are you still not changed?" Naruto asked, that perfect smile still in place. "School's gonna start soon."

He would have no problems going along with it if the boy had only come to knock on his door a few hours _later_, when he'd finished training his mind from recalling the image of Naruto kissing him back with equal fervour, of Naruto's hands holding onto him possessively instead of pushing him away

_hands rubbing gently up and down his sides encouragingly..._

And just like that images that he'd tried so hard to contain flashed across his mind in pristine clarity, the words that were spoken three nights ago rung in decibels as that twinge from before no longer clawed but pounded ruthless in his chest.

"_We're gonna forget about this tomorrow morning anyway, right? Isn't that how movies go?"_

_tongues danced a familiar rhythm, slow and languid..._

"_Because we're friends."_

"_Because we're friends."_

"_Because we're friends."_

"I'm not going," he said, as a hand came to ready the door to close. He would deal with this his own way, he convinced himself, he would give himself sufficient time to forget on his own.

As if knowing what he was thinking, Naruto pressed a hand against the door to still it from any movements. "W-why?" he asked, the smile already breaking when he realised that things were acting differently to what he'd originally planned.

Sasuke wondered if he should be brutally honest so that they could face the reality that this thing between them, this so-called friendship, was never going to last if one of them had never wanted it in the first place. But he hated, _hated_ himself for being so melodramatic so instead, he just said, "I don't feel too well," and hoped that Naruto would just play along, like he was doing so oh-so-wonderfully now.

"Oh," Naruto replied, a burst of relief washing over his features. "Was that why you didn't go to work as well?" His face turned worried. "Where're you sick? Did you see the doctors? Have you taken any medicine?"

"I'm fine," Sasuke said quietly, his vision falling to the orange runners Naruto was wearing. "I just need to rest."

Naruto reached a hand and tried to feel his forehead in concern but he immediately slapped it away. The gesture stunned Naruto as much as it did himself as his fingers automatically curled in their grip on the door.

"Don't touch me," he heard himself whisper.

Something washed over him then, a surge of emotion like a wave that had rolled so high up in the air that it could do nothing but break and collapse forward, crashing the entirety of its weight in a gigantic fall that threatened to overwhelm him. And perhaps it did, because suddenly he felt like he'd lost all sense of control when his hands fell limply by his sides.

"Sasuke..."

He felt the tears a moment later, when his vision cleared just enough to see Naruto's hands reach for him again.

"Don't," he said again, moving away to avoid being held.

"Sasuke," Naruto almost whispered. "You're crying."

"Just," he replied, willing his voice not to tremble. "Leave me alone. For a while, okay? I'm gonna be fine. Just give me some time."

There. He'd finally said it. He released a breath he wasn't aware he was holding as he realised that there was no way to turn back now. Everything was in the open and neither of them could pretend that three nights ago never happened, that this sick twisted feeling of Sasuke never existed to tear them apart. They only needed some time to adjust before they could continue where they had left off. _If_ they could continue where they left off.

"How _much_ time?" Naruto suddenly asked, though his voice was steadily rising with every word, as if he was already tired of this waiting game. And this thought suddenly jolted Sasuke from his musings to look directly at desperate blue eyes.

"A week? A month? _Three_ months when I'm gone and you don't have to see me again? Maybe then you can use that excuse to not visit me or write to me? Is that it?"

Sasuke hardened his gaze. "What do you _want_me to do?

"_Be_ with me, Sasuke. _Stay _with me. I _need_ you." He'd successfully grabbed on to him this time, holding onto the sides of his arms in an almost painful grip.

Sasuke thought he'd go crazy trying to shake away that ridiculous request.

"Stop fucking with my head, Naruto!" he ground out, trying to reel in the anger that was leaking out in uncontrollable bursts. Why was this boy saying that kind of stuff at a time like this? Why did he continue making promises and uttering words that turned him into a fucking wreck? He hated that damn boy's mouth for knowing no boundaries at all; hated it for giving him false hope, for making he feel like he had a chance when he had absolutely none to begin with at all. He wished it would just shut _up_.

"I'm not fucking with your head!" Naruto cried, shaking him for good measure. "I mean every - "

"You _are_!" he yelled, not wanting to hear anymore, throwing off the hands holding him and backing away when he suddenly felt like he couldn't even _breathe_. "Stop going around telling me that you need me and want to be with me when you've made it abundantly clear that you _don't_! Stop treating me like I'm so important to you because you're messing me up! You've messed me up! So just _stop _it!"

He spun himself away, not wanting to look at the boy anymore, suddenly feeling so sick and tired of all this and wanting it to just _end_.

The silence that fell over them made him aware of just how loud his ragged breathing was, how messy he must've looked as he tried to wipe the tears from his face. Seconds passed as he tried to contain his heavy breathing; and almost an eternity and a half later when he heard Naruto's footsteps as they walked towards him.

"Fine," Naruto said evenly as he stood close behind him. Sasuke found that he was suddenly too tired to move, to even walk away, so he conceded as Naruto placed both arms around his chest in a backward hug, his chin digging softly against his shoulder. "Let's try it out."

"Try what out?" Sasuke breathed.

"This. Us. Whatever it is you want."

Sasuke couldn't even find the strength to be frustrated anymore, so he said patiently, "don't toy with me."

"I'm not," Naruto said as he tightened his hold around him, his voice no more than a whisper. "I need you, Sasuke. I can't lose you. I was so scared that you weren't gonna talk to me again when you didn't turn up to work like that. Twice. Because you'd never cancelled before." He dug his chin deeper. "Fear like that isn't normal, right?"

Naruto tried to quieten his own breathing but Sasuke could feel the breaths against his ear as loud as the beating inside his chest.

"I don't know what it is that I feel for you, Sasuke, but I know that I can do anything if it means that I can keep you."

Sasuke slowly raised his arms to remove the hold on him now. "You're being unfair," he whispered.

Naruto clenched tighter. "We'll give it a trial," he said almost desperately. "We'll give us a month. And if it doesn't work out, we'll continue as before." He added quietly, "but you have to promise that we'll continue as before."

Sasuke held onto Naruto's arm gently, unsure of what it was that was going on. This relationship of theirs was becoming more and more obscure and he wasn't sure if he could even keep up anymore.

"Do you even know what you're saying?" he asked quietly, as he found himself focusing on the leather couch a few feet away from him, vaguely taking stock of where they were. He found himself thinking absently that he'd never step foot in this living room before until now and yet it looked as familiar as if he'd been here all the time. That coffee table in the centre with the morning paper folded neatly closed looked like some scene in a movie he'd seen almost a million times before. He could almost see the morning scene play out like a silent film: a father folding out the paper, leaning back against the thick leather couch, legs crossed as a mother came in to pour a cup of freshly brewed coffee. Any moment now and the mother will be going upstairs to wake up their sleeping son, chiding him for oversleeping before putting on his uniform to get ready for school.

"I promise you I can work on this."

Sasuke felt his eyes lower. "You can't force yourself to like me, Naruto," he said slowly.

"I'm not forcing myself."

He released a tired breath, falling back a little to lean against the boy's chest as he suddenly felt so very very tired. The couch stared back at him as if it were the only witness, judging quietly in his moment of weakness as he ran out of excuses to stop himself from waving the inevitable white flag.

"Okay," he breathed.

Naruto suddenly stilled. "Okay?" he echoed uncertainly.

"Okay," Sasuke repeated softly.

There was silence as if Naruto was trying to let the word sink in. Then, Naruto released the longest sigh of relief before hands gently turned him around so that he was looking into Naruto's eyes again, a worn if not tentative look of hope glimmering in those sky blue eyes. He wondered vaguely if the boy hadn't really known it wouldn't take much to convince him. There was only so much rationality he could hold on to before his heart decided to take over and grab recklessly onto anything, any kind of hope to survive this like a frantic swimmer lost at sea.

When Naruto smiled at him again, it wasn't the strained or practiced one this time, so Sasuke allowed himself to return a small one of his own, uncertain still if this, whatever they were doing, was even right.

"We're gonna be okay, " Naruto said, as if hearing his thoughts, nodding gently for added effect. Then Naruto pulled him into a hug, arms tight and hands splaying across his back comfortingly; and so he reached out to embrace the boy as well, hoping that Naruto could be right this time and that they could be okay when all of this was over and done.

TBC

30 000 yen = approx US$380.00


	5. V: Together 2

I : V : Together 2

"Naruto! Naruto!"

Naruto turned to see his Maths teacher run towards him with a piece of paper in hand. The corridoor they were standing in was just about emptying as students made their way home afterschool.

"Yes, Iruka-sensei?"

"Give this to Sasuke, will you?"

Naruto looked down to see Sasuke's test paper with a perfect percentage printed in bright red ink.

"He left so quickly, I couldn't even hand it to him in class."

"No problem," Naruto replied as he placed the test paper in his bookbag. Just as he was about to turn though, his teacher stopped him.

"Is everything okay?"

Naruto stilled himself for a moment before casually inflecting, "what do you mean?"

"I just noticed...last week you guys weren't talking to each other, and now this week it's like you guys are almost avoiding one another. Did something happen?"

-o-o-o-

_It seemed like they stood embraced for an eternity before they let go of each other. By then, Sasuke's eyes were so red that they knew it was best Sasuke didn't go to school after all._

"_Did you want me to stay with you?" he asked as Sasuke grabbed a tissue from the coffee table nearby and wiped at his eyes and nose._

"_No," he said softly. "But you can still make it for second period if you go now."_

_Naruto thought about staying but figured that perhaps Sasuke wanted some time alone now, especially since the boy was so used to hiding his emotions, he was sure he needed his own space. So he adjusted his hold on his book bag and said instead, "I can drop by afterschool?"_

"_Don't you have training?" _

"_Oh, I do," he realised. "Then, I guess, I'll see you tomorrow?"_

_He couldn't quite decipher the look on Sasuke's face, his bottom lip slightly biting as if considering something._

"_Um...did you want me to pick you up tomorrow?"_

_Sasuke's gaze fell then. "I guess."_

"_Because if you don't want me to I can meet you in class?"_

"_Do you want to meet me in class?" He asked, looking up again. _

"_I don't know. What do you want?"_

_Sasuke was piercing him with that look again, and Naruto suddenly found himself cursing his inability to read situations properly. What was going on? Moments ago he was understanding things fine, now he wasn't even sure what he should be saying._

"_Maybe we should just meet in class," Sasuke finally said after almost a full minute of silence between them._

_Naruto managed to shake himself from his stupor. "Okay," he said. Then repeated again once more to calm the sudden nerves he was feeling. He was just about to walk out the door when he suddenly felt that he needed to do something else. So, he walked towards Sasuke again, stopping only a feet apart before reaching in for a chaste kiss. _

_When he looked up at Sasuke afterwards, he thought that he'd see something of a pleased look on the other's face. But Sasuke's gaze was turned downwards and again the nerves inside of him was beginning to bite him. He didn't know what happened, if he'd done something wrong again, but it was with a blur that he found himself leaving the house and walking into his second period, his brain like a black hole with absolutely no recollections of how he'd even made it on time. Later, he thought that perhaps beginnings of anything brought out the awkwardness in everyone, and suddenly felt better for the next day coming._

_Except when the next day came, the nerves came back also. Suddenly the look he didn't know how to decipher became the look he'd have to learn to deal with because it seemed that Sasuke was always thinking, always considering and always making it hard for him to work on their new relationship. _

_And just like that, with barely a few decent conversations together and a bundle of awkward hugs and kisses, five painfully slow days went by. And without realising it, Naruto was already beginning to count down the days of his promise._

-o-o-o-

Naruto tried to look everywhere but into those inquisitive brown eyes. Iruka had been his homeroom teacher for two of his junior years and they had quite the close bond. Sometimes, when he felt that he couldn't tell anyone how he was feeling, he'd inevitably find his teacher to console him. He was almost like a father figure to him and he appreciated how much the other genuinely cared about him, beyond classroom matters. So it shouldn't even come as a surprise that out of everyone, it was Iruka who noticed it.

"I hope it's not because you're going to be leaving for Osaka next semester?"

Naruto shook his head. "No," he said. "Just, he's been picking up a lot of shifts lately, so..." He hoped his teacher wouldn't be asking for him to elaborate because he really wasn't sure what he could say.

Iruka looked at him for a moment, worry in his expression. "Naruto," he began, suddenly serious. "No matter what happens, I hope your friendship with Sasuke doesn't change. You've been friends with each other since you guys were little kids. I know how much he means to you, but I think you sometimes can forget how much you mean to him. I'd hate to see this change in your life affect your special bond for each other."

Naruto couldn't help but look away. He knew that. He knew that what they had was something that was precious. _Is_ precious. Not everyone in this world can find a person they can trust their whole life in. It was what made him start it all. It was what made him suggest what he suggested. It's just...he never expected that things would be so difficult.

"I want to be what he wants me to be," he said. "But I feel like I just..."

It wasn't like he imagined that everything would run smoothly when he decided that they should date. He knew he would need to make an effort. Afterall, he'd never had experience dating a best friend before. Much less, a boy for that matter. But he thought that...

He thought that Sasuke would help him out. Instead, the boy was quieter than he was before, if that was even possible. He'd use to tell Naruto what was going on with him but now he only spoke when Naruto was asking him something that required a response. It was as if he was refusing to... cooperate at all.

"That you don't know what he wants you to be?" Iruka finished for him.

Naruto didn't even bother trying to look surprised at his teacher for hitting it right on the nail.

"How'd you..?"

"Naruto," Iruka sighed almost exasperatedly. "You're never going to know what he's thinking, or anyone's thinking for that matter. No one can read people's minds. So just be who you are. Just be who you've always been for him." 

Iruka continued, "People can feel it if you're not acting yourself. Don't think you can fool anyone."

Iruka stood there for a moment, as if waiting for his words to sink in before leaving him to collect his thoughts. Naruto knew that those words were true, but he wasn't sure if that was really where the problem was at. Still, he figured that perhaps he should think more on it given that his teacher never gave the wrong advice or perceptions of him. He adjusted his bag strap, mind still preoccupied, before turning towards the exit and heading home.

-o-o-o-

At dinner that night, Naruto's mother made pork curry, his father's favourite before heading out for business trips.

"How long are you gonna be away for?" Naruto asked his father as they had dinner for almost the first time this week. He'd been too busy with his training and his father had been coming home rather late recently for them to be able to sit down and eat together.

"Just this weekend. We're surveying a town a couple of miles from here for the new Orochimaru office."

Naruto never really understood what his father's work consisted of. He just knew that his father was a land surveyor for a corporation that had many different workstations across the country. A few days ago he heard vaguely that the big boss was visiting their area as well.

"Is Orochimaru-san gonna be meeting you guys there?"

"No, actually, he's already in town. We'll be heading out together."

There was a tinge of pride in his father's voice, so Naruto figured that going on a business trip with the boss was probably a big and very rare occurrence. He was happy for him. Despite living in such a small and relatively unknown town, his father managed to get a respectable and well-paid job for the family. He knew that his father sacrificed a lot when he was younger, working two or three jobs to support the family when his own parents died from the earthquake back in 1968. He became the man of the family at age 17, taking care of his other two siblings and making sure that they would all have an education because that was the only hope that they had for change. It was his father's tenacity and ridiculously strong will that brought upon the successes - for his aunt and uncle both moved into bigger cities outside of Konoha now and making a rather comfortable living too.

Which just reminded him of his own sorry predicament. He had yet to tell both his parents about the scholarship that had been offered to him. Granted, he has almost three months till the new semester would begin, but he wasn't that stupid not to know that the longer he delayed it, the harder it'll be for him to bring the topic up and convince them. Sometimes, Naruto just couldn't understand why they so heavily objected to his doing track. He could see how important education and academia meant to them, especially his father, but they weren't exactly in a position where they required him to earn his pay cheque if he were to _fail_. Why couldn't they just let him explore his potential and see where it would lead him?

"Honey," his mother interrupted his thoughts, "your food's going be get cold if you don't start eating."

He nodded absently before picking up his spoon. He'd have to tell them soon. Maybe as soon as next week when his father returned, before Sasuke could find out and call him a coward again.

Sasuke...

That was another issue he had on hand. He needed to do something about that quickly too. He'd promised that things would work out, but so far it was going the opposite route and just falling apart. Besides those awkward affections during lunch breaks, they barely even spent time together. Naruto could even say that it was worse than the previous week when they weren't talking to each other at all. He just needed a sign, or better yet, needed Sasuke to just tell him what he was doing _wrong_.

"_Be who you are. Just be who you've always been for him."_

Is that really the problem? Was he maybe trying just a tad too hard to being what he thought Sasuke wanted him to be that he was losing part of who he is? Things had been so good before when they were bickering and fighting over the littlest things; now, they'd become so polite with each other it was getting almost sickening. He just wanted things to be normal again. He just wanted them to continue their relationship as it was. He wanted them to be happy. Happy with each other.

He needed to see him.

Naruto looked up at the clock hanging on the far kitchen wall and calculated that in another hour, Sasuke would be going on his break. He'd go and see him, he decided, and talk a little, and maybe then, things would be okay.

-o-o-o-

Naruto sat by the corner of the restaurant with his bento he'd packed from home, waiting for Sasuke to come out. It'd been a while since he'd brought food for Sasuke, but the first time without his mother having asked him to. He figured that things would be less awkward this way.

When Sasuke stepped out from the kitchen, Naruto pretended to only be casually looking at the boy as he walked towards him. Donned in the black uniform with the fast food logo printed bright red on his right chest, a sudden image flashed in his mind of how similar Sasuke was to his father: both working so hard at a young age and with odd jobs hoping for a better future. Except Sasuke' s future didn't lie within the borders of Konoha, it was something much bigger and much better and much more deserved than anyone else that he knew. And as much as he was supportive of this, the thought only made him realise how little time they really had left.

"Hey," Sasuke said quietly as he sat down on the seat opposite.

"I brought food," he said, pushing the bento towards him.

"Thanks."

And then it suddenly hit him. He could sit here and stare at Sasuke finish the food and leave with nothing changed, or he could do what he came for and that was to fix the mess they were in. But Naruto was never a thinker - he acted on the fly, was impulsive and stupid - so why had he been acting like a grandpa and thinking things over and over again, wondering what he should do? Why were they in such a depressing situation when things didn't have to be? Not right now. Not until either of them had to part ways.

It was as if seeing Sasuke in that black uniform of his, walking in the greasy fast food restaurant that he couldn't help but be hit with this epiphany. And so, after deciding to put all logical thinking in the back seat, he abruptly stood up and grabbed Sasuke's arm that he had just rested on the table.

"Come outside," he said, tugging on Sasuke till the boy stood up and headed for the exit.

"What?" Sasuke asked confused, his legs trying hard to adjust to being pulled as he followed Naruto outside. "What about the food?"

"We'll get something else."

"But your mother - "

"No, I packed it so it's alright. Besides, it's curry and you don't like curry."

They reached the car park when Naruto let go of Sasuke's arm. "Why the hell would you pack me curry if you know that I don't like curry?" Sasuke was slightly breathing heavy now, stopping in his tracks to gather himself. Naruto found himself smiling as he noticed that the boy hadn't realised that he was acting his snappy and waspish self.

"Look, bastard, just be grateful I even thought of you, okay?" he said without any bite. He was suddenly hit with a rush of adrenaline, coursing quickly through his veins, and making him feel brave, as if he could do anything right now and it would be okay. He looked once at the traffic ahead, colourful underneath the evening sky before turning to look back at Sasuke again.

"What do you wanna eat?" he asked, unable to contain his huge grin.

Sasuke was looking at him as if he was losing his mind. "I don't want to eat anything," he said, shaking his head.

"Too bad. Let's go get some ramen. There's a stall nearby."

"I don't even like ramen."

"I don't care."

He could see the edges of a smile forming as Sasuke looked away to hide his expression. "Dumbass," Sasuke said slowly, though humour was evident in his voice. "I'm still working."

"Okay," he tried again, "we'll go to a convenience store then. Fast and effective."

"Hn," Sasuke offered, unable to hide the smirk now.

"You know," he said, the banter making his body feel ridiculously light. "''Hn' isn't even a word." He went around the boy to push him along, trying to get a move on.

"More effective than all the words you come up with though," Sasuke countered as they began making their way outside of the parking lot.

Naruto laughed at that. He'd missed this so much: the two of them just being _normal_, walking towards some nondescript store to fill their tummies, spending time together like they always had. He'd needed this so badly.

Then, an idea sprang in his mind as he went ahead of the boy and turned to look at him.

"Hey jerk," he said, grinning. "Last one there buys."

He made for a run, sprinting past the parked cars and over the small hill towards the main traffic. He stopped to wait for the pedestrian cross, cursing as he knew that any moment now Sasuke would be catching up. Despite him being the star track runner, Sasuke always made a good job of challenging him, trailing behind at a good length that made him worry. He could feel his ears almost bursting as his breath caught up with him, excitement taking up all gears as Sasuke's figure came closer and the green man started flashing. Then, the competitive side of him decided to delay the few seconds he had to pull a face, waiting for Sasuke to just about an arms length away before making it across the road.

The cool wind seemed to be pulling him on, fanning his face and body, playing the familiar song against his ears. It was only a matter of seconds before he reached the other side, Sasuke close behind. Then, oddly, instead of running through the park for the store, he turned direction so that he was running alongside traffic, uphill toward the town exit, feeling closer and closer towards the starry sky.

"Where are you going?" He could hear Sasuke scream behind him.

He wasn't sure, all he knew was that his legs were on a mind of its own, suddenly turning a sharp left to meet the open grassland, continuing a few metres before falling on his back, arms splayed as he stopped to catch his breath. The wind, his pulse and the traffic buzzed in his ears like a sweet, frantic melody, and when he concentrated on his view, the stars shone so bright he thought he was in heaven.

After a moment, Sasuke joined him.

"You. Are. Fucking. Crazy."

He felt Sasuke's body drop down beside him, could catch the boy's heavy breathing alongside his as he tried to recover himself.

_We haven't done this in ages_, he wanted to say; instead, what came out was, "The stars are amazing."

And he realised a second later that it was: the thousand bright stars shining in the clear open night sky. He hadn't seen it like this before, this clear and this close as his mind unconsciously tried to get his bearings.

"And I've just blown my break," Sasuke deadpanned.

Naruto couldn't help but chuckle. "C'mon," he said, turning to his side to see him, "this is way better than food."

Sasuke's gaze didn't turn, but Naruto could see from his profile that his eyes were slowly softening. He also wasn't breathing so heavily anymore, as his eyes traced the gentle rise and fall of the boy's chest.

Laid in this slanted hill, he could just about make out the traffic in the distance, but something in the way that they were positioned made him feel like they were shrouded in secrecy. If they'd maybe slide down a bit further, they would probably be completely hidden from view from the ongoing cars too.

But Naruto wasn't concerned about that, he was focussing on Sasuke as if he hadn't had that chance in a long time; and despite feeling the adrenaline slowly wearing off, he managed to feel his way for Sasuke's hands and slowly entwined their fingers together.

It was perhaps the stars, the night sky, the soft grass and the lazy hum in the background, because it felt to Naruto like it was the most natural thing in the world, holding Sasuke in place like this.

Sasuke met his gaze beneath the starry sky, and without any words spoken, they slowly closed their distance and met for a kiss.

It wasn't like those few ones they shared on the rooftop this past week: it wasn't weird and awkward and something that he felt like he was obliged to do. This, it was more like him trying to feel the shape of Sasuke's lips on his own, trying to taste and memorize the flavours of Sasuke's mouth as their tongues danced a gentle rhythm.

It was better than the first time, too. The first time when Naruto thought his mind was being blown from the sheer intensity and excitement he'd ever felt in his life. When he never realised that Sasuke could kiss like that, and the alcohol daring him to match heat for heat, need for need.

This time, they weren't fueled by anything other than their desire to be close. This time, it was a showing of intimacy, not a showing of lust.

When they broke away, Sasuke's eyes were still closed. Naruto found himself brushing a few loose strands from the boy's face as Sasuke's eyes fluttered open, woken as if from a dream. Then, as if reading each other's minds, Sasuke slowly rolled back as Naruto hovered above him, their legs tangling as Naruto gently placed both elbows on each side of Sasuke's face.

Sasuke looked at him without any expectations, without any secrets and without the feeling like he was quietly judging, considering Naruto like he had seen so often these past few days. He was looking at him with old Sasuke's eyes, trusting with a little bit of something else he never quite knew, but he thought that maybe he would get to know soon enough. So it was easy. So easy, as he let his lids fall closed, as he captured those lips again and kissed Sasuke like how he wanted to be kissed.

He stopped himself from thinking. Stopped himself from wondering. Stopped himself from doubting. He just let his body do what felt natural to him and it was the best feeling in the world.

TBC


	6. VI: Together 3

A/N: I've changed the warnings from the summary. When I began this fic, I never really thought much of what the pairings meant, but now that I know, I guess I should be making it explicit. Generally speaking, I wanted Naruto and Sasuke to have an equal, balanced relationship, but with the direction of this fic, it may not be that case till maybe very very late in the story. (Sorry Ovicati! I hope you can still stay following this fic. And thankyou very much for reviewing! It honestly makes my day!^^). So, here it goes. This will be the only in-chapter warning I'll give.

**Pairings: NaruSasu + others**

**Warnings: AU, Boy x Boy, dark themes, violence, angst, hurt, lime + lemons. UnBeta-ed.**

**Rating: R**

I : VI : Together 3

Sasuke couldn't believe himself when he connected the line back to Naruto's.

"Did you do it?" asked Naruto once the waiting music had died on his end, all eager and expectant.

"I can't believe I'm taking work off again," he replied, though there was no accusation in his voice. He was feeling more dumbfounded at how easy it was to convince him considering that this was the _second consecutive weekend_ he'd be taking work off. His boss was going to _kill_ him the next time he step foot into that restaurant for his recent tardiness.

"Yahoooo!" cried Naruto. "Meet you in 15!"

With that, the boy hung up. Sasuke sighed, though he couldn't help let a smile escape at the obvious excitement from his friend. Then, without another thought, he turned to run up the stairs to his bedroom, needing to get ready.

They were going to go just beyond the outskirts of town today, where there was a nice forest they occasionally hung out at from time to time. Naruto always liked the forest for the waterfall that was concealed deep in the recesses of the forestry. He'd told him that he always felt as if they were doing some sort of treasure hunting, always marking their tracks and trees so that the path was easy to follow the next time they arrived. Sasuke simply liked it for its out-of-the-way location, a good spot to avoid people and enjoy some peace and quiet since for all the times that they had been there, there was never a soul in sight. And today, with the weather hitting a perfect 25 degrees celsius, Naruto had convinced him easily that a trip there was the only way to go. Hence, his badly pulled sickie.

As he quickly changed into a pair of black jeans and a dark blue t-shirt, Sasuke caught his reflection from the wardrobe mirror. It almost shocked him to see that he was all smiles, with bright eyes and an even brighter complexion. He looked like a completely different person, as fresh and alive as he'd never felt before. The corners of his lips continued to tug upwards. Maybe he could get used to this expression, too.

Sasuke couldn't deny that things were beginning to look up. The past two days were almost like a dream to him, when Naruto was just being _Naruto _and acted his own normal self. The only difference of course was that he no longer pined for the other's affection because they were... they were...

He couldn't even get his mind to draw the word out from him. Not yet. He'd been so used to going through the emotions of an unrequited affair, that he hadn't lost the habit of not allowing himself to get too ahead of the facts, to get his hopes too high up because he could never be a hundred percent sure that his mind wasn't playing tricks on him in the details.

But it _was_ happening, a part of his brain convinced himself. He could see it in his reflection - the glowing skin and the liveliness in his eyes that was so different from a couple of weeks ago when he'd felt as if it was the end of the world because Naruto's scholarship was about to take away the boy forever. He could see it in the bruised lips and in the dark spots his t-shirt was barely covering, a reminder of yesterday when they'd come back from their first ever 'date' - just a movie and a couple of hours at the arcade - before making out on the bed behind him.

His cheeks flushed at the sudden memory, a hand coming up to cover his eyes before his mind decided to distract him with even more vivid images. His pulse began to quicken, unbidden. He found himself wondering when they'd go beyond the kissing and touching and feeling each other, hoping that it'd be soon when he caught and stopped himself short. He shook his head from those thoughts, hating himself for being such a perv. Where had he learned them from? he wondered, quickly chiding himself.

He shook his head firmly again, willing the thoughts to disappear, before he went to his bedside table and grabbed his wallet and keys. After a quick beat, he headed out of his room and house and started making his way to the bus stop where Naruto and him were due to meet.

-o-o-o-

"_Are you gonna invite me up?"_

_Naruto looked at him in the waning summer light, an easy smile revealing perfect teeth. Sasuke knew that if the boy knew how breathtaking he looked at the current moment, he'd never hear the end of it._

"_You're not scared I'm going to take advantage of you?" he asked with a smirk, hiding the embarrassment of the words behind a veil of nonchalance. _

"_Like what you've been doing all day?" Naruto asked, one eyebrow quirked upwards._

_Sasuke rolled his eyes. "You must be dreaming," he said before turning to open the gates. "You're the one who wouldn't let go of my hand inside the cinema."_

_They entered the house quietly, heading up the stairs and walking into the bedroom before Sasuke locked his door securely behind them. _

"_I didn't think you wanted me to," Naruto answered belatedly, before pressing his lips gently onto Sasuke's. Then he pulled back to stretch lazily before flopping on the bed before him. "Mmm-tired," he muttered._

"_You want something to drink?" Sasuke asked, still standing by the door though his insides were doing flip flops from the brief kiss not a moment ago. _

"_Nah, I'm good."_

_Quietly, Sasuke went to the bed as well and laid beside the blonde. He only had a single bed so Naruto edged to the side slightly to make room. He rested his head on the blonde's sprawled arm before turning so that they could look at each other. Naruto's eyes seemed to glow in the dwindling light from the open window._

_Naruto smiled at him easily and when he spoke, he felt the puffs of breath touch softly against his skin. _

"_I didn't think it'd be this easy," said the blonde. "I wonder why we hadn't done this sooner."_

_Naruto's soft voice was melodic in the quiet of the room, making Sasuke's arms lax as he placed a gentle hand on the blonde's chest. _

"_Are you saying I'm easy?" he asked, though more of a tease than with any real bite._

"_No," replied Naruto honestly. _

_They continued to gaze into each other's eyes, the blonde suddenly losing the confidence he had all day, not knowing what they should do next._

"_It's because you're stupid," said Sasuke suddenly. _

_Naruto blinked, facing edging an inch away. "What?"_

"_It's because you're stupid," repeated Sasuke softly; then elaborated, "It's because your brain's empty all the time."_

_Naruto's eyes were part confused, part annoyed. "Why are you insulting me?"_

_Sasuke ignored him and continued. "You never try to see what you don't want to see." He reached a hand to the back of the blonde's neck, pulling him in slightly. "That's how you've always been. And I hate it." Blue eyes slowly dawned with comprehension as gentle lips reached to meet his. _

_It was a soft gentle kiss, just a slow brushing of tongue on tongue before they separated. _

_Naruto's eyes opened to reveal a hazy gaze before gently locking with his. "I'm seeing now, right?" he whispered softly. _

_Sasuke turned to hide a smile against Naruto's chest, his insides fluttering at a quicker speed now. He still couldn't believe this was happening. Here, being in Naruto's arms, Naruto cradling him and not some girl he'd profess his love for once every few months. He wasn't sure when it'll stop feeling so surreal._

_When his gaze focused, he was staring at the blue crystal necklace Naruto always wore. Even in the approaching darkness, it still glimmered in its alluring beauty. Absently, Sasuke reached a hand to touch it._

"_It's really beautiful," he said softly._

_Above him, Naruto hummed, resting his chin against his head before turning to look down. The heat surrounding them was addictive._

"_Yeah," he said shortly when he saw Sasuke holding the crystal gently in his hands._

_The necklace was the only thing the blonde had to connect to his real parents. It didn't surprise anyone, definitely not the town of Konoha. Naruto's wild blonde hair and tanned complexion, even a preschooler knew, could not have come from the Uzumaki line of traditional Japanese heritage. Naruto's real parents had left him but a month old, if he could recall the story properly, in a bundle of ragged cloth at the edge of a bridge, the strongest wind would have blown him off and killed him in the violent waters of a winter night. But he'd never blamed them. Even as Naruto grew up looking more and more different to the couple who had taken him in, the blonde had never told him that he felt alone or abandoned. Instead, he'd said that the necklace had brought about a warmth that always seemed to comfort him, made him feel protected as it wrapped against his neck. It was the most precious item he confided to have._

"_You think they could still be alive?" he asked absently._

_Naruto shrugged gently. "Doesn't matter either way. I love the parents I have now. And they... I feel them with me wearing this."_

_Against him, Sasuke sighed. "I don't know how you can be so..."_

_Nice? Forgiving? So ridiculously positive, after knowing that at some stage the parents who bore and birthed you decided that you simply weren't important enough for them to take care of? Sometimes Sasuke wished that he could be like Naruto and forgive and maybe forget so that he wasn't filled with so much hate all the time._

_Naruto brought their faces together gently. "So 'what'?" he asked, noses brushing._

_There was a twinkle in Sasuke's eyes before he responded. _

"_So annoying," he said before reaching in for a kiss. Naruto punched him softly in the stomach before splaying gentle hands on the warm skin and twining their legs together._

_When they separated for the second time, Naruto's eyes were looking searchingly into his again. "You know," he said softly, as fingers came to brush gently at his cheek. "I think you're much more beautiful than the crystal."_

_He kissed the area between Sasuke's stunned eyes, then smiled as he reached the lips again. "Don't think I'll say it again," he said teasingly, before pressing a tongue inside._

-o-o-o-

He was early when he reached the bus stop that drove the only route out of town. Two elderly couples were already waiting by the seat so he found a ledge a good few metres away to sit and wait quietly for Naruto to arrive. The sun felt heavy on him as he sat out in the open, only realising belatedly that he should've worn something a little brighter to repel the afternoon heat. He brought a hand to shield the sun's rays as he stared at the landscape before him. The bus stop faced an abandoned lot, about a two minute walk from Konoha cinemas. A few years back there had been some developmental plans to construct a four storey mall, but from what he remembered the investors had backed out mid-way leaving only half the skeleton of the construction in its place.

Staring at the construction in front of him, his mind a complete and eased blank, he didn't even realise when a shadow crept up towards him until the voice spoke.

"Hey, Sasuke!"

Sasuke turned to see a bright looking blonde run towards him, his insides doing a little somersault from seeing the happy smile on the boy's face. He really needed to stop himself from feeling like a complete goo every time the blonde smiled at him, he thought, or else, Naruto'd find out and then he'd _never_ hear the end of it. Too concentrated on not making himself act like a lovesick fool, he missed the right moment to greet him as he sat down in a whiff of breath on the ledge.

"Sorry I'm late," he said easily.

It was then that Sasuke realised that sometime between waiting and daydreaming, the old couples who'd waited earlier were gone, most likely hopping on the bus that had disappeared without him knowing.

_When did that happen?_

"When's the next bus coming?" asked Naruto as he edged just a fraction closer so that their shoulders bumped. Sasuke shrugged, not knowing the answer.

"What's wrong? Still mad I told you to spend time with me instead of boring work?" Naruto asked, eyes slitting with a cheeky grin.

He shrugged again, though the slight confusion before disappeared seeing that Naruto was trying to make light of the situation. "No," he said simply, a smirk creeping at his lips. "I've come to terms ages back of your terrible influence."

Naruto chuckled as he swung a teasing elbow at him. He caught it just in time before thinking, _to hell with it_, and leaned in for a quick peck on the cheeks. Next to him, Naruto beamed.

"I didn't mean to take so long," said Naruto breezily when they'd settled down. He reached for the backpack resting on the ground and unzipped it. Just as he was about to take something out, he pressed his face forward, so close to Sasuke's the boy'd thought he was going to kiss him again. "I got us something," he said conspiratorially.

Sasuke arched his head slightly, wondering what it was before Naruto reached inside his bag again.

Sasuke's eyes widened when he saw the two devices in the blonde's palms.

"I figured," said Naruto, "if I'm gonna have to wait every time you think of a stupid excuse for your manager to skip work, I'd much rather be waiting in bed than in the hallway."

Naruto laughed, passing one of the two devices to Sasuke, the shiny black metal gleaming in the afternoon sunlight.

"Aren't I just the most thoughtful person?" Naruto bragged.

Sasuke stared at his gift for a moment longer before the smile tugged at his lips. The phone rested perfectly inside his palm. "Guess I can't avoid hearing that annoying voice of yours anymore," he said, though the humour in his voice was easily detectable.

Naruto rolled his eyes beside him. "Bastard," he said automatically, but edged just that little bit closer as they tried to work at the mechanics of the new phones they now shared.

-o-o-o-

"Don't you think," said Naruto as he jumped from rock to rock in the shallow creek they needed to pass, "that it's amazing no one knows of this place besides us?"

Sasuke was right behind him, though he was not silly enough to be jumping on slippery rocks, seeing that for every one Naruto made, the other made him lose balance and soaked up his sneakers.

"Don't be stupid," he replied. "Of course other people knows about it. Just because its not a tourist resort, doesn't mean no one else visits."

They were only a couple of minutes away from the place now, he could hear the faint crash of water on water, and without knowing, his heart beat in excitement. It had almost been a year since the last time they came here.

"I still don't think anyone knows," Naruto said stubbornly as he raced up a difficult muddy hill and turned to give Sasuke a hand. "Why else have my signs not been removed?"

"And how should they remove it? Cut the tree down? You pretty much skinned it on there."

Though Sasuke had to admit, Naruto did a pretty fine job on his markings. It took them less than thirty minutes and they never did miss the place since the first time they discovered it.

Naruto scowled at him. "Can't you just agree with me sometimes," he asked, petulant as he pulled him up the bank.

"I always agree with you," Sasuke replied offhandedly as he landed next to him.

"No you don't," Naruto countered.

"I agreed to come here with you, didn't I?" he said with a casual smirk.

"Whatever," Naruto rolled his eyes. Then, after a pause added, "Asshole." But he held onto his hand anyway, even after they'd moved away from the slippery ground, leading Sasuke as he remembered from the numerous times they'd been there, the way to the waterfall's entrance.

It wasn't a huge one, just a small thin stream falling into a circular pool - a punchbowl of sorts. The water was just deep enough to reach their chests the last time they came here, a forcible swim if they were desperate. But it was beautiful, this place, with the afternoon sun rays peaking through the thick canopy leaves and making the water glisten in its pristine clarity. There was a large smooth rock that dipped into the edge of the pool where they would usually sit and soak their tired feet, soothing sore muscles with the refreshing water.

Amidst this calming scenery, Sasuke even found the sound of rushing water oddly soothing.

Naruto let go of his hand as they neared the mouth of the pool and began pulling off his wet sneakers and throwing them aside. He dipped one foot into the water as if trying to test the temperature before sighing and letting his body relax. "I can't believe we haven't been here in so long," he said as he turned to look at his friend. "What're you waiting for?"

Sasuke removed his shoes as well, though unlike Naruto, he made an effort to place the pair together neatly before heading towards the water. He didn't think much of it until he heard Naruto laugh at him.

"You're such a perfectionist," Naruto couldn't help but comment.

Sasuke gave him a glare before walking towards him.

"I wonder what would happen if you had to be all messy," the blonde continued. "It'll probably give you a heart attack."

"Being messy is a choice," he said matter-of-factly, the water surprisingly warm when he dipped in. He was only a foot away from Naruto before he inched closer and softly pressed their noses together as if to chide him. "So, no, you'll never see me have that heart attack."

"Really?" Naruto replied in mirth, backing his face away as if wanting to stare him down, a mischievous glint in his eyes. "Let's see."

Having known the boy for practically all his life, Sasuke should've known that just as those challenging words left the blonde's mouth he should've been geared to protect himself. As it was, his one second of inattention allowed Naruto to grab him by the wrist, and with a quick spin and a tug, he found himself falling into the shallow water in a wet splash.

"Naruto!" He screamed.

His clothes became wet very quickly as the shallow water seeped through the materials, an uncomfortable warmth soaking his skin. The blonde only laughed at him, face close as a hand swept his fringe away from his forehead. Then, removing the hand from his face, Sasuke expected to be pulled up only to find Naruto had turned to cup the water beside him in both palms. A second later, he splashed it on his face. Sasuke stared up in absolute disbelief.

The boy bowed himself over in hysterics. "Oh my god, the look on your face!" Naruto said in between breaths. "So I guess you _chose _to fall, did you?"

Sasuke's eyes narrowed.

_That idiot...!_

With a forceful shove the blonde was off him, but he kicked him for good measure anyway. Then, as Naruto laid on his back still fighting off his laughter, he reached for the collar of the boy's shirt and coming to a quick decision, dragged the blonde closer to the deeper end of the pool.

"Stop, stop," Naruto cried though the laughing had practically taken away all his energy. Sasuke was already too wet to care that he'd be completely soaked if he continued pulling the boy with him, the water knee deep, too consumed as he was in making the blonde pay. When he saw that Naruto was flailing to stay afloat, Sasuke stopped and stared down at blonde eyes. "You should check out your face," he said with a smirk. Then with a strong push, brought the boy fully underwater.

He couldn't help it, his lips tugged upwards, laughing, bracing his stomach in stitches, as Naruto struggled to stand and get his upper half out of the water, the boy stumbling over twice before holding ground. The fact that the water reached his waist now and made his clothes cling uncomfortably against his skin was a minor detail as he saw Naruto cough up the water that he'd inadvertently swallowed.

"You b-bastard," Naruto cried when he got rid of the excess water and could get himself to speak. His eyes zeroed onto his and Sasuke didn't need another second to know what was to come. His stomach was still sore as he tried to run, the cascade coming closer towards him, the noise of the water deafening his ears, as he realised too late that there was no way of escaping. In moments Naruto's hand was on his shoulder and, quick as lightning, he was shoved roughly backwards.

The sound of his crash was immediately drowned out as he sank underwater, arms desperately seeking purchase only to reach the slippery earth. He could barely see with his hair floating across his vision, as the shock made him lose his breath and he suddenly struggled for air.

But he did manage to get up, not two seconds later though it felt much like an eternity. He pushed his hair messily away from his face as he coughed up the water, breathing large gulps of air to stabilise himself. When his breathing was almost normal again he could vaguely make out Naruto's laughter amidst the crashing waterfall.

He turned in the direction, eyes stinging, only to find that Naruto was only a couple of metres away. The blonde was holding his stomach, much like he had previously, his laugh a light, cheery sound as blue eyes finally made contact with his. And as easy as that, he felt the corners of his lips tug into a ridiculous smile.

"Dumbass," he muttered without any spite, as he began brushing loose strands of hair away from his face. Then in a louder tone, "Look what you've done, idiot! Our clothes are all wet!" He shouted over the crashing water for the blonde to hear, shaking his head as he took stock of both their situations. His shirt was okay, but he knew that once he got out of this pool, the jeans would take forever to remove. And dry. _Oh God, why did he let himself take it so far._

Naruto slowly walked towards him, his easy smile still in place, unaffected by such matters as going home in soaking wet clothes.

"Relax, bastard," said the blonde lightly once he neared. "They'll dry."

Sasuke hadn't looked up, too consumed with calculating how long it'll take for the sun to dry their clothes and figuring the best position to lay them out, so he didn't realise that Naruto's hands were running through his wet, matted hair, helping him clear his face from his long annoying fringe. By the time he _did_ notice, though, their noses were already touching and Naruto had cupped the sides of his face in an intimate gesture. He stared right into clear blue skies.

"What?" he instinctively snapped.

Naruto couldn't help the chuckle. "Easy," he said. "We're having a moment here."

He still had the decency to blush. "What moment?" he asked mock-angrily, though his heart had already begun racing in his chest.

Naruto smiled, seeing through his facade as the blonde pressed their lips together for a kiss, soft and sweet. They kissed gently, their tongues meeting in a quiet dance, slow and excruciatingly long, steadily allowing another part of Sasuke's body to awaken as he moved instinctively closer to Naruto's lean form, forgetting all about his irritation from before. Naruto's hands fell from Sasuke's face to wrap one arm loosely around his neck and the other on the boy's waist. Then, with a quick tug, pulled Sasuke's hips forward.

Their groins collided in delicious friction, the jeans Sasuke was in intensifying the heat and the pleasure he was feeling. He moaned, a deep, hungry sound, feeling the desperate urge to repeat the motion again. And again, until they had to break the kiss, no longer able to concentrate as they gasped in shallow breaths against each other's cheek every time they rubbed their groins together.

Sasuke thought his mind would explode soon if he didn't get rid of his pants _now_, his forehead resting on Naruto's shoulders just to hold himself upright.

"Why the fuck are you in jeans?" Naruto's impatient voice suddenly said, slicing through the thick heady haze he was in. Belatedly, he saw that Naruto's fingers were trying to work at the button of his jeans, at his zipper, though the water was making everything so difficult.

"Why the fuck are we still in the water?" he heard himself snap.

He couldn't help the laugh that escaped him not a moment later, finding the desperation they were feeling to touch each other's bare skin oddly humorous in their current situation. Naruto's laugh was muffled against his chest before he, too, made a move to get out. They dragged heavy legs towards the bank, bodies an inch away because any closer and they'd probably be at each other again.

Sasuke hadn't realised how much more lighter and comfortable it was on dry land until he was only a couple of feet away from the flat rock they were heading towards, the water emptying in tiny floods through the threads of his clothes. There was a slight chill in the air but the excitement in his body was all that was needed to keep him from shivering.

When the water barely reached their ankles, Naruto stopped to get rid of the shirt he was in, throwing it towards the large rock in a squishy heap. The blue crystal necklace Naruto always wore shone in the bright light, drawing Sasuke's attention for a second before he too followed suit.

In an instant Naruto's lips were on his again, wet and sloppy before his fingers worked on his jeans again. It was easier now that they were out of the water, but it still took two difficult tugs before the jeans went past his aching hardness along with his underwear and down his knees. The sudden cool air was oddly sensual against his erection, though he had no time to concentrate on that as he found himself stumbling backwards and leaning against the hard surface of the rock to keep balance so that he could tug his jeans the rest of the way off. Next to him, Naruto was working on his own cargos before throwing them over towards the wet heap of clothes revealing his full form.

Sasuke'd seen the blonde naked plenty of times, from when they were growing up and visiting onsens to changing and showering in school gyms. He'd also seen him when the boy was aroused, though that was more of a secret, because glancing at your best friend while purportedly jerking off to porn wasn't exactly orthodox, and just a tad freaky. This time, however, as he stared at Naruto in all his naked and excited glory, aroused because of nothing else but himself, Sasuke found a new set of nervousness clog up his throat, constricting his breathing. It seemed as if everything was suddenly so much more real and so much more serious, because surely they're going to...

"Stop looking at me like that," Naruto mumbled, a slight blush dusting his cheeks. But Naruto was never one to be shy for too long so he closed their distance and hovered just above him so that Sasuke was lying flat on the rock, feet still on the ground. "I'm going to wonder how much advantage you took of me for all these years."

Sasuke forced the impending thoughts away and tried to match Naruto's tone, light and teasing. "How do you know it isn't a recent development?"

Naruto held onto his gaze. "Is it?" he asked softly, though the laughter in his voice was suddenly gone. Sasuke found himself amazed at how quickly the blonde could switch tones like that.

"No," he answered honestly and allowed Naruto to search his eyes and possibly his soul.

He could ask himself and still Sasuke wouldn't be able to pinpoint the exact moment when he realised that his feelings for his friend were more than just platonic. He could barely even remember when he first began having the confusing dreams at night, so different it was from reality, feeling both excited and so terribly alone at the same time because Naruto never seemed to look at him the same way at all. But it no longer mattered now because they were here, weren't they? Despite all the secrets he had kept, wasn't Sasuke staring up at eyes that were only focused on him right now? Isn't Naruto's body so warm and close and promising something intimate hovering just above him?

He reached to tug the boy down, pressing their lips together. He kissed Naruto with all tongue and teeth, nipping at corners, biting and sucking at Naruto's lips until it burned, until his own lips too could be swollen.

He didn't care. He needed him. Every inch of this boy he'd been waiting an eternity for.

He didn't notice when they began thrusting against each other again, their thick hot lengths sliding against taut muscles, quickly, desperately as they both moaned into each other's mouths. He could feel the moistness of their pre-cum mingling together, pasting their stomachs in all its sticky mess, heightening his senses as Sasuke's mind began wondering if his body was going to explode from the inferno that was currently burning their bodies together.

_Only you. I only need you._

Sasuke felt himself being close, so close, as his body pushed further upwards, meeting Naruto's sleek, sweaty body, his hips thrusting in an almost frenzied rhythm.

"Oh, G-God," Naruto moaned, pained in sweet desire, his chest heaving, his mouth latching on Sasuke's neck as his hand snaked between them to pump at both their erections. Sasuke felt the callouses stroke at his sensitive foreskin, so quick, so fast, so perfect, making his mouth open in an empty cry, the exquisite pleasure driving him to the brink before everything flooded out in a brilliant, brilliant white.

It could've been a full minute or even two, before Sasuke's vision could focus again, his breathing catching up to him from the incredible release he just had. When Naruto collapsed after a long, hard cry but a moment later, he even had the piece of mind to hold Naruto by the shoulders so that the boy wouldn't crush him with all his weight on the way down, so limp and satiated was the blonde to even notice.

He stayed like that for God knows how long before Naruto regained enough senses to roll over and splay his body right next to his

"Fuck, that was good," breathed Naruto as soon as the boy recovered his ability to speak. "You are so good." Another breath. "Are you sure you haven't done this before?"

Sasuke turned to look at him then. If he had the energy, he'd probably be slapping the blonde's closest body part in annoyance from the implication, but Sasuke's mind was still too relaxed and sated to care about minor details in Naruto's speech. Besides, somewhere in there, he was sure there was a compliment.

"Idiot," he simply said after a beat. "Of course not."

"Oh," Naruto said a moment later, voice still heady, then turned to look at him. "That's right."

"Are you...gloating?" he asked mildly.

"No!" Naruto said quickly, then added. "But that does make me feel pretty darn good about myself." The blonde smiled, all teeth.

Sasuke heaved all his energy so he could rest on an elbow, looking down on the blonde.

"Hn," he muttered. "Don't get too ahead of yourself."

Unconsciously, his eyes began to roam down the tanned skin, to the clear sticky mess on Naruto's muscled stomach and the light pubic hair. When his eyes landed on Naruto's now limp length, his eyes immediately snapped back up to Naruto's slowly focusing gaze.

Naruto's lips spread into a wide knowing smile.

"Like what you see?"

Sasuke couldn't hide the blush that spread across his cheeks, though if he was honest, he wasn't exactly feeling too embarrassed after what they'd just done. His groin began to stir in excitement, aroused again at the sudden thoughts that were running in his mind.

_Would he dare? Would he let me do it?_

Inching slightly closer, he forced himself to ask in a slightly quivering breath, "Have you ever..." he released a small breath, "...had a blow job?"

Now it was Naruto to flush a deep shade of red as his eyes widened in complete and utter shock of what he just heard.

"W-Wha?" he stammered.

Sasuke fought down the urge to get up and run and hide himself possibly till kingdom come from sounding so ridiculously perverted. But he swallowed his pride and willed himself, enough so that he could ask again in a stable voice. "Have you?"

Naruto blinked a few times, as if wondering if this conversation was really happening before deciding to give a simple, dragged out answer, "No..."

Sasuke forced himself to inch closer still, the answer encouraging as he said softly, "Will you let me?" breath hot and moist. "I've always wondered..."

Naruto shuddered at the request, unconsciously resting full on his back as he did so. Sasuke took that as a possible yes so he leaned forward and hovered over the blonde, the stirrings in his groin were pulsing more quickly as he began to rain soft kisses down Naruto's neck and on every inch of Naruto's chest before he began.

"You'll need to tell me what you like," he said as he stopped to look up at heavily lidded blue eyes. He was beginning to grow slightly nervous, his palm a sweaty heat as he realised that he was really going to do this. Obviously it'd worked out and felt good in his dreams but he was sure that reality wasn't as easy as the porn that played out in his sleep.

"Okay," Naruto almost whispered.

He released a long deep breath, removing his gaze to continue working kisses down Naruto's chest, gathering himself. When he reached the boy's stomach, the come from before had already dried, pasting the soft snail trail against tanned skin. He paused briefly, then began mouthing small inches of the sticky skin, cleaning the skin off.

Above him, Naruto moaned encouragingly.

He could get used to the flavour. It was a slightly salty taste, with a unique musky scent that mingled with the water from the pool. He decided that the taste wasn't completely unpleasant as he slowly finished the expanse, leaving the boy's midriff sticky with his saliva instead. Then, he carefully placed a hand onto Naruto's hips as he stared at the half-hard erection before him.

He hadn't seen it from this distance before. The skin was a darker, redder tone than the rest of Naruto's skin, though like his own, he could make out the dark veins running along the strain and towards the bulging thick head. Sasuke raised a nervous hand to wrap around the length, fisting gently until Naruto was completely stiff in his palms, the heat and hardness making his own hard-on begin to ache with need. He sneaked a glance at Naruto then, seeing that the boy had raised himself on his elbows to look down, curiousity mixing with lust in half-lidded eyes.

Naruto's hips bucked reflexively as he licked the underside of the boy's length, slow and wet. He could hear Naruto try to stifle a loud groan, his hips thrusting forward as he became impatient. He placed two hands on Naruto's sides now, making sure he had some control. Then, as he continued to maintain contact with Naruto's eyes, mouthed the erection as far as he could go.

Naruto's blue eyes bulged so wide it could've fallen out of their sockets. His hips began to thrust uncontrollable, trying hard to reach deeper into the warm, alluring heat. Sasuke had to quickly firm his grip on Naruto making sure that he wouldn't gag as his muscles tried to accommodate the size of Naruto in his mouth. He bobbed his head as slow as he could make himself maintain, wanting Naruto to feel every inch of heat on his member, rolling his tongue when it reached the slit of of Naruto's head and sucking the precum that was leaking into his mouth.

"Fuck, Sasuke," Naruto was gasping. "Fuck. Fuck. Fuck."

Sasuke almost couldn't stop the smirk that was beginning to form from the reaction he was receiving above him. But he schooled himself and pressed on Naruto's hips hard, making him stay before glaring at him to emphasise the point. Naruto still had the mind to listen as his hands gripped at whatever he could hold onto to restrain himself and stop himself from bucking violently into Sasuke's mouth.

Sasuke's right hand slowly left the blonde's hip and gathered at the base of Naruto's hardness, pumping in tune with his mouth. When he removed his mouth, Naruto hissed.

"Sa-suke," Naruto was almost cursing, face coming up to shoot daggers from his eyes. He ignored the look and moved his mouth so that he could kiss at the boy's sac, before mouthing the balls - gently, sultrily.

"Ohhhhhhhh," Naruto moaned, head rolling back now.

He felt oddly victorious from seeing Naruto submit to his ministrations, sucking again at that sweet spot of Naruto's just to hear the boy writhe above him again. His hand continued to fist the blonde, mouth returning to Naruto's member a short moment later, and ignoring the effects Naruto's moans were doing to his own region down south - _soon_, he thought. _He's almost there_ - willing himself to focus on his current task.

He felt the moment almost instinctively, Naruto moaning so loud above him - _"God, Sasuke, God!" - _and a hand coming to grip painfully at his hair that without another thought, widened his mouth and swallowed Naruto down to the hilt, burying himself as Naruto came in a burst of molten hot liquid, forcing his muscles to accept the release slide violently down his throat in a searing mess.

"Sasuke!"

He wished he could just place a hand on his own aching hardness, feeling the insides of him stir so heatedly from the ridiculously sensual moan above him, but his hands needed to grip Naruto's hips or he'd be choking as he made himself swallow every drop of semen that flooded his mouth.

Naruto had already collapsed when Sasuke's nose was buried in thick pubic hair, mouth still sucking on the limp member. He could already feel his throat hoarse and pained from the come that had practically burned him, but he worked his muscles until Naruto was completely clean from his orgasm. Quickly, his hand reached to touch himself, fisting hard and fast so that he could finally get his release before he brought himself up to lay on Naruto's chest.

He wasn't satisfied, but he could deal with it. Especially after seeing Naruto reach a climax like _that_, he knew that the next time it happened (it'd happen again, right?), he'd be having bragging rights. His hand wrapped Naruto's waist possessively, holding him close.

He no longer cared when his mind tugged at him to say they were going too fast. The naked expanse of skin he was seeing was making him imagine all sorts of other things they had yet to do, to try together. If anything, he was wondering if they should be going the whole way now considering all the time they wasted to get here.

When Naruto stirred, he rolled himself over and raised an elbow to look at the blonde. Hazy blue eyes opened, the muscles on the blonde's face so laxed without emotion that Sasuke had a panicking thought that maybe Naruto hadn't enjoyed himself as he'd imagined.

"You okay?" Sasuke asked, heart managing to thump heavily from the sudden nervousness of discussing the aftermath. _You liked it, right? You were even screaming my name..._

Naruto's hands raised to brush hair he hadn't known had stuck to the side of his face and tucked it behind his ear. He held onto to him gently, fingers snaking behind to rest softly at his neck.

_Naruto?_

Very slowly a smile broke on that wonderfully lax face. "Sasuke," Naruto breathed, as his head was tugged forward and a dark strand fell to touch at Naruto's cheek. Naruto's eyes glowed in their intimacy, his smile as bright as the afternoon sunshine, his voice only above a whisper. "You are amazing."

Something in his chest unwound, broke free, spread to every part of his body and left soft tingles in its wake - to his fingertips, to his toes. It was probably the same thing that tugged at his lips and made him smile impossibly wide as he looked down at the only person he ever wanted in this world.

_I'm right. I'm not dreaming._

Sasuke'd always known he was in love. But as he finally dipped his head to kiss waiting lips, he was just so, so glad he wasn't in it alone.

TBC


	7. VII: Them

I : VII : Them

Things were going along splendidly.

Naruto was walking down the familiar track to running practice, whistling to _Kinki Kids' Flower_, his body warm and satiated from the quick makeout session with Sasuke from before and feeling as if he was on top of the world. The sky was clear, the breeze was gentle, he was on his way to doing the thing he loved the most, he had all the precious people in his life - what else could he ever want?

Unbidden, he started singing.

_Bokura wa ai no hana sakasou yo_

_Aozora himawari noyou ni tsuyokuuuuuu_

_Chiisana koto de kuyokuyo shiteta_

_Kinou no boku ni sayonaraaaaaa _

"You're off tune."

Naruto whipped around to see Ken walking towards him. In his beatific state he couldn't even make the glare count.

"Aren't you happy," stated Ken as he caught the strides needed to level with Naruto. "What happened? Got laid?" Ken gave him a sly smile, teasing until his eyes suddenly bulged when they'd landed on Naruto's exposed neck. Naruto's eyes quickly followed the gaze.

"Holy mother shit!" cried Ken, almost jumping as he did. "Is that a bloody _mmph_!"

Without even a second thought, Naruto slammed a hand on Ken's mouth, muffling the loud announcement as students ahead of them turned around to see the fuss. Naruto reddened in embarrassment, Ken was reddening for lack of breath, both boys struggling for control until the outburst from Ken was forgotten from the student body and they turned to continue on their way.

"Don't scream!" Naruto whispered harshly, his ears flaming red. He let go when the boy nodded quickly in compliance. Naruto'd completely forgot that Sasuke was mouthing him on that part of his neck this afternoon. Of course it'd leave a mark, he chided himself. That asshole, probably did it on purpose.

_Oh, but you weren't complaining then, were you?_ his mind supplied lewdly. _Sasuke sure has a way with that sweet little... mouth of his_. The last past was a sultry whisper making him unconsciously shiver before he snapped from his little inner dialogue._ Oh, shut up_, he berated himself.

Ken was doubling over trying to recover his breathing, but in a few seconds his body snapped back upwards. "You lucky bastard!" Ken cried, though the volume had gone a couple of notches down to being acceptable. Naruto could hear the envy leaking in the boy's voice and he couldn't help the smug smile. "Where the hell did you find her?"

He continued walking towards their practice field, not looking at the boy as he shrugged mock-innocently. He reveled in the reaction. He knew there were some students younger than him that weren't virgins already, but amongst his group of friends and the people he associated with, Naruto was sure that most of them had yet to even find someone to get past first base with. Ken was one of the unlucky ones. He, however, will be the lucky first.

-o-o-o-

"_When do you want to do it?"_

"_Huh? Do what? Oh."_

"_...Is it too fast?"_

"_No! I mean, uh, do you think it's too fast?"_

"_Tomorrow."_

"_Tomorrow?"_

"_I don't have work. And you don't practice Tuesdays."_

"_Ha ha ha, isn't _that_ perfect?"_

_A smirk. "It is, isn't it?"_

_-o-o-o-  
_

"Don't start acting cocky with me, Naruto!" Laughing, he ducked the half-hearted swing from his friend and, grabbing the fist that had been aimed, swung the arm over his own shoulders placatingly.

"We haven't done it," he said innocently, waiting for Ken's expression to lose some of the irritation first. Then, lowering his voice cheekily, decided to give the low blow, "not yet."

This time, he allowed Ken to land a punch in his stomach as he doubled himself laughing. The boy was furious.

"Watch out," said Ken sourly, not like being played. "She might flip her mind and then we'll see who's acting cocky."

"Hey!" yelled Naruto in mock-offence. "Don't curse me!"

He was about to say more when he heard something go off. The two boys stared at each other blankly before Naruto realised what it was and reached in his bag.

"When did you get a phone!" cried Ken disbelieving as he worked the buttons to see Sasuke had sent him a text. Ken bumbled over, trying to peak as he cried, "Is it the chick? Is it the chick? Is it?" However, when Naruto clicked into his inbox, he stopped abruptly. "'Bastard'?" he murmured, confused, then said, "Oh, it's just Sasuke," and walked away without bothering.

Naruto looked at Ken's back and frowned at the reaction. Ignoring it, however, he opened the message.

_/Knew it. Ebisu is making me stay till 11 for yesterday. All your fault. Call me after./_

Naruto's lips tugged into an unconscious grin. He hit the reply button.

_/Bastard! How is it my fault? Btw, you asshole, left a mark on me for the whole world to see! I'm gonna kill you tomorrow! Call you right at the hour. Better pick up quick. ;)/_

"Hurry up, Naruto!" Ken cried as he pressed the send button. He looked up to see that the track was only a few metres ahead and practice had already started with the students working on their warm ups. He picked up his pace, sliding his phone back in his bag when it went off again. Quickly, he took it out and opened it.

_/You can do more than kill me tomorrow, Naruto. Have fun practicing. Don't be daydreaming now./_

Naruto's eyes widened. Sasuke knew the exact words to get to him. He could practically see the boy's smirk as he sent the message. _Asshole!_ he thought as he threw the phone back into this bag and quickly zipped it up. The images flashed in an unending reel. _It's gonna be a _long _two hours._

-o-o-o-

Practice was _terrible_. He'd spent the better part of practice doing squats and air bicycles - both things he absolutely_ loathed_ - because he had taken two minutes with his 800 metres race, _twice_. He also lagged behind in the team relays, making three of his teams lose. Ken had been laughing hysterically when his coach blasted at him for slacking off in front of everyone, going as far as accusing him of belittling their club just because he had a scholarship at a premier school.

And it was. All. Sasuke's. Fault.

His mind just couldn't concentrate on racing properly when he kept thinking of Sasuke's damn lips and hands and all the things they'd done already. He was just ridiculously lucky he hadn't been running with a boner all throughout because it sure as hell felt uncomfortable enough in his lower regions to have one.

He groaned tiredly as he made his way back home. It was getting late, his legs were spent, his energy was drained. He was beat. Tempting aromas wafted in the neighbourhood, reminding him of his empty stomach as families prepared their dinners. He could almost make out his house not too far with the lights on in their living room, partly covered by the parked car in the driveway.

_That's right. Dad's home today._

When he finally reached his doorstep, his bag dragging his arm down like dead weight as he took out his keys, he found himself remembering that he hadn't texted Sasuke back. _Bastard,_ he thought, _he's totally gonna get it now, making me lose concentration at practice like that. _

His mother's beef stew attacked his senses when he entered, making his stomach rumble loudly. It was his father's favourite and his mother tended to make it whenever he returned from business trips as a warm welcome back.

He dropped his bag by the entry-way and drawled tiredly, "I'm back," getting out of his shoes and putting on his house slippers. It was oddly quiet inside, not a single noise besides his own shuffling; he didn't even hear the stove top simmering, which was the norm since his mother always waited for either his father or himself to return before serving dinner to eat together.

He frowned, hands sliding against the hallway walls as he tried to avoid exerting unnecessary energy. When he turned the short corner to the living room, the brightness of the lights was stark, almost blinding his retina as it tried to adjust to the difference from outside. His eyes squinted once before it could focus.

His parents were seated on the couches perpendicular to each other. He couldn't see his mother properly but he could see his father's expression, who was seated towards the entrance where he was standing.

And that expression made his stomach turn. Eyes downcast, he could see the anger etched in the lines of his forehead like thick tattoos. He could smell whisky in the room, faint but apparent as his eyes quickly found the source lying just on the coffee table. _Uh oh_, he thought. _Guess the business trip sucked._

"Welcome back, dad," he braved, smiling slightly as eyes slowly looked up to meet his. He rarely saw his father this angry, but he knew from past experiences that he needed to steer clear. Back in the days when he was playing his outrageous pranks at school, he had experienced his father's wrath once, complete with cane and all. Luckily Sasuke had been there, the boy's top marks and clean reputation managed to convince his dad that he could still be changed into the same exemplary student if he were given the chance. It didn't really work, but it did teach him to stop with the pranks and go to school normally if he valued his life like every kid should.

Speaking of cane, a glance on the side saw that it rested right next to the couch his father was sitting on. _What's going on?_

"Mum?" he said gently, hoping that whatever it was, he had no part in it. "Dinner ready?"

He barely saw the glass flying across the room towards him, only just scraping the side of his cheek as his instincts made him smash of glass by the wall had him frozen. He stood, tight as a rod, eyes blinking at everywhere until it focused on his father's hardened ones. His heart was thumping loudly, shocked beyond anything he could imagine at what just happened.

"Naruto," was the gruff, dangerous voice. Then, after a beat, commanded, "Kneel."

_What?_

He felt himself choke up on a breath as he met his father's gaze. Slowly, his dad stood up from his seat on the couch, staring him down. Naruto's body suddenly shook. He quickly cut a glance at his mother but she hadn't moved an inch. Her face wasn't even turned.

"Now," was the stern voice, a deadly poison, as if they had all the time in the world.

Naruto tried to get himself to exhale carefully, a shaky breath as he tried to get his mind to work properly. _What did I do? What's going on? Why's he angry? At me?_ His heartbeat was skyrocketing, but he forced himself not to panic.

"D-dad?" He stuttered despite his wishes. He made his way slowly to the centre of the room, carefully bending his legs to kneel, knowing that no matter what argument he had, it was best to obey first. He caught onto the first thought that strayed to mind and opened his mouth. "If... if this is b-because of that scholarship, I _swear_, I-I was - "

It was a split second, the cane that came flying at his shoulder, the burst of pain almost paralysing as his mind belatedly ran a slow replay of the thrash once his body hit the floor. Everything was quiet, like a silent film, the crackling of the cinema reel matching the beatings of his heart mockingly. When the second hit came, he found it in himself to finally scream.

"You filthy, filthy boy," his father said above him, enunciating every word with a slow, painful strike. He could feel his breath choke out of him as he tried to crawl away, frantic now, towards his mother, who still wouldn't look at him. "Mum," he cried, though the voice was weak, too weak to have been his own.

He held onto his mother's legs in spite of himself, moving his pained back towards the foot of the couch, shielding himself as his father approached and bore down another at his side.

"Dad!" he cried, this time his voice working properly in its scream. "Stop! What did I do!"

He could feel the skin and muscles on his back burn, his body all but caving as he wrapped himself tightly by the couch. His eyes were stinging as he blinked away the pained tears, holding onto his mum, willing her to do _something_.

"How dare you," said his father as he raised the stick again, bringing it down forcefully, this time at his arm. "How_ dare_ you," he repeated. "How dare you disgrace me, disgrace this family who has brought you in."

His arm felt painfully heavy. Nothing was making sense. He thought his mind was going to explode. He was burning. Everything was burning. And he had no idea what he'd done wrong.

"I didn't do anything!" he cried, bringing an arm out, stupidly the injured one, to block another strike. There was a sudden warm burst of release, exquisitely liberating.

"You haven't done _anything_?" his father scoffed. "You haven't paraded yourself by the town exit, _embarrassing_ me, flaunting for the world to see? You filthy, filthy thing!"

"What are you _talking_ about, dad!" he cried, this time daring to latch onto the stick before it hit him again, holding tight as his father struggled momentarily with it. His eyes snapped to meet his father's, a cloudy rage brimming in their depths mixed with lurking dark... disappointment.

_What's...going...on?_

"Did you, or did you not," gritted his father, eyes red, "make out with a _boy_!"

He flinched. A chill entered his chest as his fingers unconsciously laxed on their hold on the cane. Everything was an eerie quiet, except his breathing. His breathing magnified, threatened to consume him as he looked at his father with wide, unfocused eyes. And then everything seemed to fade out.

His mother may have stood up next to him. May have told his father to stop. May have said something along the lines of 'I'll talk to him'. His father may have objected. But all he could think of was his father's red, red eyes. As if angry. As if disappointed. As if... heartbroken. And his insides felt stabbed, suffocating him as things began to slowly regain focus, the sounds turning up in volume incrementally.

"Naruto, go upstairs. Now, Naruto. _Go_." His mother was talking to him now. He looked up to see his mother's tear-streaked face, the pain in her eyes the same as his father's and that knife in his gut twisted.

_They're hurt. I've... hurt them._

His mother tugged him again. He slowly stood up, noticing that his father had moved to the far corner, back facing them. He stepped over the cane lying bloodied and careless, his mother's arm supporting him before she ordered him to go straight to his bedroom and wait for her.

In a trance, he walked.

-o-o-o-

"_My mum said that you're not like us. You don't have real parents!"_

"_Yes, I do!"_

"_No you don't! They just found you on the streets! Like rubbish! You're just rubbish!"_

_The leader of the group took a step to close their distance. Then, with chubby hands shoved him hard on the chest until his bottom hit the sand pit. He yelped in pain._

"_Rubbish shouldn't be allowed to play here. This area is ours. Don't come here again."_

"_I'm not rubbish," he said, voice trembling as his eyes began to cloud with tears. _

"_Yes you are!" cried the leader. _

"_Yes you are!" followed the group of friends in unison, chanting, tormenting him. _

"_No I'm not!" he screamed, though the tears were falling in torrents, his vision continuing to blur no matter how many times he tried to wipe them away._

"_Rubbish!"_

"_Rubbish!"_

"_Rubbish!"_

"_Hey kids! What are you doing!"_

_His head snapped to the familiar voice yelling at the distance. He felt his chest unwind as he made out the outline of the figure, hope fluttering inside._

"_Get away from my son, you naughty kids! Before I tell your parents on you! Go! Shoo!"_

_The kids ran away almost instantly as he felt the presence of his father near and ducked down to reach his small frame._

"_Hey, Naruto. It's okay, they're gone now. It's okay."_

_Something burned in his throat as he focused on the warm, gentle gaze looking worriedly at him. He clumsily wiped at his eyes before he spoke._

"_T-they... t-they said that I was r-rubbish, daddy," he choked out, the lightness in his chest upon seeing his father replaced by a bitter, painful emotion. He hiccoughed as the hot tears continue to roll down his cheeks. "T-they... t-they said that y-your not my r-real parents, daddy b-but you are, a-aren't you?"_

_He stared despairingly into dark brown eyes, ones he'd seen almost every night before bed. Surely, surely they were a real family._

_His father placed a calloused hand on his head, patting him softly before a small smile reached his lips. "Of course you are," he said gently. "We are your real parents because we love you very much. And you are our son because you love us very much. Isn't that right?"_

_He nodded quickly, head bobbing dramatically because it was the truth. His father always said the truth._

"_You're not rubbish, Naruto," continued his father. "You are our most precious child. You are a gift to us from above."_

_His blue eyes widened. At that moment he thought that there could be no one else more important than the man in front of him. _

"_And as our precious child, you have to be strong. You can't cry so easily like that. You need to stand up for yourself and stand up for us. You need to protect the Uzumaki name and not let anyone bully you. Because you are family, understand?"_

_He let the words sink in, nodding enthusiastically as he understood. Almost immediately, he grabbed the hems of his shirt and wiped the tears from his face, showing his resolve. _

_His father smiled at him proudly and patted him again on his head. "Good boy," he said. "Now let's go home. Mummy's making your favourite ramen tonight."_

_He quickly scrambled to get up from the sandpit, brushing the residue from his clothes before holding tightly onto his father's proffered hand. _

_His body felt much lighter as he matched his father's pace and made their way back home._

-o-o-o-

The gash on his arm stung. He hissed as his mother wiped the antiseptic on it, was silent when she bandaged him up.

He slowly leaned back when his mother was done, ignoring the throbbing in his back as it made contact with the headboard. He waited. Waited, as his mother quietly packed the first aid kid and placed it by his bedside. He waited until she spoke.

He had questions, but he didn't know where to begin. He had answers, but he wasn't sure if they were right. His mind was a tired warzone, unable to focus, unable to combat the confusion that was wrapping his tattered body. He wanted to close his eyes and close himself from what was happening, what _had_ happened. But he knew that it was futile.

"Your father didn't mean it."

His mother's voice was very soft, but it still managed to slice through his hazy musings. His eyes were focusing on his mother's frame, a small timid forty year old, who'd done nothing but take care of him and her family, who was trying her best to be both a mother and a wife, as she tried to defend the man she had sworn to stand by twenty years ago.

She reached for his hand and he let her.

"You," she began, voice trembling now. Naruto felt his stomach lurch slightly, suddenly fearful of her next words. "You need to stop this. " Her voice was barely a whisper. "Please, Naruto. You've...you've hurt us so very much."

The crushing pain in his chest was oddly secondary to the rising bile in his throat. He felt very very sick.

"Do you know what you've done?"

Shiny eyes bore into his. He couldn't even make himself shake his head, or was he supposed to nod? Because somehow, somehow, it felt like he knew, should have known.

"People... people will talk," his mother said, eyes falling to his sheets. "And your father will have to endure so much pain if you continue with this. So please, Naruto. Listen to me, and do it for us."

He didn't realise he'd tightened his hold on his mother's hand until she looked up. Tired, black eyes stared at him. His words came unbidden.

"It's... it's just Sasuke," he whispered. Was his voice trembling? He wasn't sure. "You guys like him, don't you?"

He tried a tentative smile but failed when he saw her look. Tears were brimming in her eyes.

"Oh, God," she breathed heavily. "You have no idea how _wrong _it is." She reached in to give him a hug. He tried not to wince in pain as she grazed the ointment on his back. He held himself steady, steeling himself despite the unwelcome mantra running through his mind. _Wrong. Wrong. Wrong._

_Why would you say it's wrong, mum? It doesn't feel wrong at all._

"Boys," said his mother, pressing him gently as though trying to comfort him. He could feel the reverberations from her chest with every syllable, heavy like drums. "...They're not supposed to be together. It's wrong. It's unnatural."

_Unnatural? Why? Why is it unnatural?_

"Because," whispered his mother.

His eyes widened fractionally. He hadn't meant to say it aloud.

"Just look at us, Naruto. Look at everyone around you. You can't start a family like that. You know it. _You know it_. So why, why are you breaking our hearts, Naruto?"

The fresh pain in her eyes when she looked at him made him feel his insides clench, scrunched in bitter agony. No matter what was going on, he should never be hurting her. Hurting them. It wasn't right.

"I never, _never _meant to hurt you guys," he whispered, holding onto her face, cradling her, wanting her to see the sincerity in his words.

"But you're hurting us now!" she cried, a loud gasp, frail hands grasping at his wrists. She closed her eyes painfully, willing the tears away as she continued. "We've asked nothing from you, Naruto. We took you in as if you were our blood. We've wanted nothing but the best for you. So trust me. _Trust us_. This isn't something you want. This, whatever is going on between you two, is a phase. You guys are young. You don't understand yet."

He didn't hear. Didn't hear anything at all. He just wanted her to stop looking at him with such painful eyes.

"This is going to ruin you. It's already ruining your father. Did you know that Taka-san was in the same car with him when they drove past? It's going to spread. Everyone's going to know. And if you don't stop now, so we can salvage the situation, your father... me... we're all going to be ruined."

"I don't want to ruin you."

"Then stop. Don't see him again. _Promise me. _Two boys," she breathed heavily. "Is disgusting."

The last word made him flinch cold. _Disgusting? Am I disgusting?_

_Is that why dad was so upset? Is that why you're looking at me like this? Is kissing Sasuke disgusting? But he, he never said that. We, we're not doing anything other than... other than... Am I disgusting? Disgusting. I am, aren't I? I am disgusting._

He hadn't realised he was shaking until his mother held onto him again, rocking him gently as her hands ran through his hair. She was muttering something. He couldn't hear. Not over the million thoughts that washed through him.

_I've hurt you. I've hurt dad. I wasn't meant to. I'm supposed to make you guys proud. But I'm disgusting and I've hurt you two. I'm so stupid. I'm so stupid._

It could've been a few minutes, it could've been an eternity. The thoughts repeating themselves, never ending, the heaviness in his chest continuing to drag him down. But slowly, gently, her mother's voice seeped into his consciousness like a sweet lullaby. And very timidly, he began to hear her words.

"We can fix this. We can fix this. You just need to stop this. Stop whatever you're doing and it'll be okay. As long as you know that it needs to stop now, it's okay. As long as it stops, we'll continue loving you as before. It's okay.

"We're not going to be shunned, honey. Because you'll stop seeing him. We're going be safe, because you promised. So it's okay. Everything. Everything is going to be okay."

He buried his nose closer to the curve of his mother's warm neck, wanting, needing his mother to wrap him tighter.

_It'll be okay. Everything. Everything will be okay._

TBC

A/N: Lyric translation:

Let's make a flower of love grow

Up to the blue sky, strong as a sunflower

I'll say goodbye to the me of yesterday

Who dwelled on little things.


End file.
